That DNA Thing
by Hedonistic Opportunist
Summary: Men are pigs. Sakura knows that, and yet she can't keep her eyes from her new neighbour. NaruSaku.
1. Prologue

**That DNA Thing**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The world would go under, if I did.

A/N: Simple proof of the fact that this author can write het, and won't shy away from it. This is utterly cliché, trite and what do I know what, plot-wise, but then, I just really want to write this. Please don't kill me?

.....

All girls, regardless of who they are, how old they are or what kind of social background they come from, dream about the perfect guy. The knight in shining armour who'll sweep you off your feet, and promise you the stars from the sky.

All that crap.

We've all fallen for that junk. It's – that's what I'm fully convinced of – a sort of pre-programmed thing in our DNA that makes us dreamy-eyed and act like a total idiot in front of the supposed dream guy.

You blush, you stammer and spend hours in front of a mirror in some fancy shop, admiring your reflection. You want to be pretty, so that the guy will just turn and look at you. It's so horribly degrading because we're supposed to be emancipated.

And yet, we degrade ourselves.

If you're lucky, he'll ask you out. If you're very, very lucky or just plain retarded, he'll end up marrying you and you'll be the mother to his snot-faced kids. And you live happily ever after until he dumps you for a younger woman, that is.

It's only after a while, after you've realised that Mr Perfect is just another human, being how stupid this is.

You realise, while kissing the boy, that he's smelly, tastes like cigarettes and attacks your mouth a little too aggressively. You understand, after he's forgotten your birthday, that he's not going to keep his promises.

He won't catch any falling stars, nor will he die for you. He'll just use you, and then drop you as soon as his pleasures have been sated.

Sometimes I think the only purpose of being a woman is to go through these three phases: being utterly in love and blind, then going through a sort of an enlightenment process until you reach the third stage.

And that's really just shit.

Don't believe me?

Then you're just a moron. Quite simply. Or you belong to that lucky breed that's never fallen in love. If we ever cross paths, we'll have to exchange phone numbers. I'd really like to know how to keep from falling in love.

At seventeen, I thought Sasuke Uchicha was perfect. I still feel surprised that he chose me, from all girls he could have asked out.

Of course, I accepted. And I was happy.

My world revolved around his.

He had everything. Money, good looks and he was – that's what I seriously thought – a gentleman. He never tried to get me into bed, his hands didn't wander to places where I didn't want them to be. I'd dated two boys before him, and knew how annoying they could get.

I lost my virginity to him, and he his to me. It should have been perfect, but -- to be honest -- Sasuke was awkward. Even when we were intimate, he couldn't let his mask slip. After a while, I started to ask myself if there was something wrong with me.

I often ended up questioning myself if his being with me was just for the sake of keeping the gossip down.

Only after he'd broken up with me by e-mail after half a year of dating, did I understand that I hadn't meant anything to him. I'd just been someone to play around with.

What a jerk.

I'd see him, of course. Day after day, we'd pass each other in the hall, and Sasuke wouldn't even greet me.

I cried tears over him. Cried so hard until I thought I had none left, until I felt like my insides had been torn apart. I'd never felt more stupid and cheap in all my life.

A weight was lifted off my shoulders after I'd graduated.

I was resolved to not make the same mistake. So, I started to date Kiba. He was quite a rebel, a 'bad boy' and his reputation would have put Marlon Brando to shame.

That summer following graduation was the summer of my life. I'm not kidding here.

The sex was awesome. If Sasuke was inhibited and nearly shy in bed, then Kiba was just the opposite. He was the one who taught me to appreciate my wild side. Let's say that it's always good to have a guy to teach you how to use candle wax and handcuffs in bed.

But after a few rounds in the sack, I dumped him. A relationship just can't sustain itself on sex, as nice and good as it feels. I wanted to feel loved.

Besides, he was a little too much in love with his dog...Not that he was doing that kind of stuff with his dog... but I don't think it's good if the girl comes second to the pet.

I'm a selfish person. I want to be first. I want to be admired and cherished, loved and desired.

That's why my search continued.

During university, I met other guys. I don't want to go through the entire list because it's not that large in the first place.

Oh fine, I'll say it.

There were only three men. One of them was a bug freak, the other an emotionless painter and the last one my professor. Yes, I even fell for that trap. All of them convinced me that sometimes it's really just better to be on your own.

After university, there was Neji. I liked him, I really did. He was reliable, a real gentlemen and he was serious about us. He had the most gorgeous hair I'd seen in a man.

Perhaps, I should have accepted his marriage proposal. Then again, I couldn't imagine being with a guy who valued his family's honour over me. I wasn't going to change myself for his sake.

We don't live in the Middle Ages.

Now that you know my history, don't say it's sordid. Don't give me this kind of shit. We no longer live in the good old days of "Jane Eyre."

I'm a free woman. I'm twenty-seven. I have no illusions. I know what to expect of men. And I'm resolved that I can play the game as well as they can.

-----

Sakura sighed loudly, after she'd finished typing this – letter, rant? She didn't know what it was. For what was the hundredth time this evening, she shook her head. Her brain cells had been roasted too much today.

They had to have been because nothing else could have induced her to type this.

It was growing dark; the sunlight peeking in from the windows was getting dimmer and dimmer. Soon, she'd be forced to turn on the lights. Then, her expensively furnitured apartment with the glass table, white-washed walls and red sofa would look beautiful, splendid even.

However, there was something missing – a second person, perhaps? It looked so empty.

Sakura slapped herself on the forehead.

She really had to be going nuts. Perhaps, she'd watched too much "Sex and the City" and now was doing a very poor imitation of Carrie Bradshaw. She was no Carrie. She didn't have that much of a shoe fetish nor did she keep running after or away from any kind of Mr Big.

As far as Sakura was concerned, she was very well off without Mr Big. And all the silly notions of "Mr Right" still ghosting about in her head could go fuck themselves as well.

Sakura let out a giggle. She'd used foul language again.

_My mother would be so proud of me._

Then again, her mum was proud of her. She always said how glad she was that Sakura had made a fine career for herself, and had not gotten married to some loser (unlike herself).

Sakura was proud of herself as well. At twenty-seven, she only had success to look forward to. She'd graduated top of her class, had gone through the hard internship and was now the doctor she'd always wanted to be.

It wasn't easy, but Sakura liked it. She liked it a lot, and had no regrets. She hadn't thrown her life away for a man, and wouldn't do it in the near future.

Sakura was resolved not to fall in love again, and was pretty sure she never would.

---


	2. The Not So Mr Prince Charming

A/N: Short chapter is short (heh, I always wanted to say that), but if I learnt something from writing multi-chap stories in the past, then it's the following: don't write when you don't feel like it, and make your chapters as long as you feel they need to be.

And yes, feedback for this 'literary achievement' would be nice. Constructive criticism is loved, as long as you keep it civil, and respectful.

---

The alarm clock rang shrilly, blasting so loudly into Sakura's ears that she awoke with a loud groan. Her head throbbed, but the alarm-clock was still going at it – _violently_ and _loudly_. If the racket was going to continue for any longer, she was sure her eardrums would burst – and that wasn't nice at all.

She was too young to be deaf, as of yet. Also, as far as Sakura was concerned, she never wanted to be deaf, thank you very much.

So, Sakura, by pressing some kind of button on top of the alarm clock, ensured that the awful _ringing-dinging _noise stopped.

She should have broken the alarm clock instead, but it would have been so utterly troublesome to get a new one. And Sakura didn't like troublesome things. Besides, it had been a gift from Ino who didn't take it too kindly if one didn't appreciate her gifts. She always caused such a fuss over things.

"How troublesome," Sakura remarked loudly, and immediately slapped herself on the forehead.

_Fantastic, I sound like Shikamaru now. Ino's lazy-ass husband is rubbing off way too much on me. _

Then again, it was troublesome to get up now. Especially, when Sakura was still feeling so sleepy. So very, very sleepy.

"Fuck," she hissed out, rubbing her eyes wearily, and hissed even more when she felt how much her muscles were protesting. She just couldn't get her arms stretched out. "That's what you get from typing rubbish into your laptop."

_I so don't want to get up. Bed warm. Floor cold. And my brain's not functioning properly. Brilliant. If only, I didn't have to meet up with Ino today. Ack, I don't want to!_

But obligations were obligations. Sakura had no choice, and admitting defeat, she got up. Or better said, she first yawned loudly, then stretched her legs and arms, and after indulging in the nice comfy warmth of the bedsheets a little longer, finally sat up on her bed. Then, she slowly placed one foot on the floor, followed by the other. And then, once Sakura had gotten used to the cold, she waddled off into the living room.

Yeah, she was very much a morning person, all right.

But she had time. Enough time to be tardy. It was only six o'clock in the morning. But there still wasn't any reason to hurry up.

Today, she had the day off. Her clinic was open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Today, was a Tuesday, and that meant freedom. Lots of it.

---

One thing, Sakura liked about her apartment was that it was a highly practical one. She nearly believed that it had exclusively been built for busy people like her. Though, just for the heck of it, Sakura secretly always replaced 'busy' with 'lazy'.

The kitchen was connected to the living room. Or better said, the kitchen, being a very small one, was part of the living room. There were no walls, doors or anything else separating it from the living room. Sakura liked that: it was good to be able to eat, cook and watch television in the same room. But she rarely cooked. Usually, she went to Ino's or ordered take-outs.

"I don't know why this apartment always looks so messy in the morning," Sakura muttered to herself while she strutted to the kitchen, scratching her back leisurely while she contemplated her living room.

It looked kind of dusty. Splendid yes, but still a little dusty. And the table needed some wiping: badly. Besides, she didn't know when she'd last taken care to clean the windows.

_But I never have the time for that, and if I do have time, I'm too tired, or lazy do it_, Sakura thought, feeling that familiar emotion of bitterness form in her chest. But the bitterness faded away quickly, and was replaced by nonchalance.

Whatever. She'd do it during the Christmas holidays, which would ... be in like eight months. Yeah. Sakura was once again grateful that her mother lived far off.

_She'd have a heart attack, seeing how I let myself go._

And oh, she did let herself go. Like on every morning, Sakura grabbed a carton of milk from her fridge, walked the few steps to her sofa, and plopped down on it. She grabbed the remote control, which lay on the glass table in front of her, and switched on the TV. While she flicked through the channels in search of some decent cartoon, Sakura drank out of the carton.

Of course, she knew that she looked like an absolute harridan with her tousled hair, her blue pyjamas and that Snoopy T-shirt. The image was perfected by her sitting cross-legged, and occasionally taking another sip out of her carton.

And yes, she burped. Once. Maybe, even twice.

Not like she cared: she was at home, and this was her private sanctity. Her haven.

Where she could do what she wanted.

And so, she continued to sit there, looking like a harridan and drinking milk out of the carton.

Oh, yes that was _life. _

_I'm pretty sure Ma would have a seizure seeing me like this. Oh well, she isn't here, and I don't care._

Sakura let out a Cheshire grin. She'd make sure that the next time her beloved mother did come over for a visit, she'd sit in the same position – only that she'd be wearing her bra, and panties instead of her pyjama. And she'd make sure to look extra messy.

That would teach her Ma a precious lesson, and make her burst out laughing.

Because, God knew, Sakura hadn't seen her mother laugh out loud in a long time.

_---_

"Finally," Sakura said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear when she'd finally managed to get her door closed with a loud _bang. _

She'd been trying to close the door for the past five minutes, and after much loud cursing and threatening on her side, it had finally worked. Good it had, otherwise she'd have resorted to violence.

That wasn't necessary now. For the record: the door was – thankfully – closed, Sakura repeated to herself.

Only that her palms were red and bruised now, and that her forehead was wet with sweat; Sakura was also breathing rather quickly.

Damn, that lock just did cause too many problems, and Sakura found herself thinking what she always thought on these kind of occasions:

_I'll get a new one today. If I don't forget about it again, that is. _

Sakura sighed loudly, and licked her lips. She'd forget about it, most likely. Yeah, it was very likely that that stupid lock would haunt her forever.

_Oh well._

Somewhere out, she heard a car hooting, and there was a blaring of horns. Apparently, there was a traffic jam outside because soon the blaring and hooting was accompanied by a _tuut-tuut_ noise. Oh how grateful Sakura felt that she didn't own a car.

It had to be so bothersome. Not to mention, bad for your disposition overall. It was a generally accepted fact that people who owned a car were always in a bad mood. Sakura paled when she thought how her already – admittedly – rather fussy personality would have taken a turn for the worse if she'd gotten her driver's licence.

_I'd end up killing someone. _

Another sound caught her attention. It sounded like footsteps walking up the staircase. Sakura frowned. On this landing, there were only two apartments. One was hers, and the other was empty.

_The apartment next to me is empty, been so for the – well ever since I've lived here_, Sakura thought, and bit her lips nervously, thinking if this was a surprise visit from Neji, perhaps.

Perhaps he wanted to get back with her...? Tell her he was sorry for what he'd done, and that he missed her so much he couldn't live without her? Maybe, she thought, sniggering a little, he'd even burst out crying. Now, that would be a major feat: to see the ever so restrained and poker-faced Neji cry because of her.

Sakura's heartbeat increased, and she rubbed her hands gleefully. Oh, she'd teach him a lesson. She'd shove that box of chocolate and bouquet of flowers right into his face, or even worse. She could even -

_Oh, I wouldn't do that. I'm not such a bad girl. Whips aren't a good thing to use... though, whipping Neji to submission would be ... quite delicious, I think. _

Sakura was so busy picturing a crest-fallen and ashen-faced Neji, and her laughing like a maniac while he begged her for mercy that she didn't notice the person had reached the other door. She didn't notice the stranger walking up to her, either.

"Hello, sugar," a voice whispered into her ear. Huskily.

Sakura jumped in fright.

_Eh...sugar?_

That's how Sakura was brought back from her reverie. Or, rather she'd returned from La La Land with such a force that it nearly sent her reeling. And she was sputtering, rather ungracefully.

Sakura's brain immediately processed the following facts: the voice had been low, and decidedly belonging to a guy. A smell of shaving gel and whatever men used as perfume attacked her nostrils.

Indeed, he smelled good in that manly, uninhibited sort of way.

And when Sakura looked up, she saw something what her brilliant mind immediately registered as being a very manly – smoking hot – blond.

He was tall, definitely something around 1, 85 metres and quite well-built: broad shoulders, nice chest and muscled arms. The man's features were somewhat boyish, and yet, he didn't look like a boy at all. The hardness of his jaw, and the slight stubble on his chin made him look very much like a grown-up man.

Normally, Sakura would have found that disgusting: guys who didn't shave properly weren't her type. But this one -

_This one makes it work._

Oh, he was quite hot. So hot that if this had been a shoujo manga for pre-teen girls, Sakura would have been nose-bleeding by now. But she wasn't, and no – for the record – her blood wasn't pulsing faster in her veins either, and her heart wasn't beating wildly against her ribcage either.

She just thought he was hot, in that very random way you think a car is nice or ramen tasty. Nothing else.

Sakura always hated it when people took things to the extreme.

So, he was hot. That didn't mean anything.

Still, he was kind of interesting. Maybe, she'd flirt a bit with him.

But, the orange T-shirt he wore, and that stupid grin on his face made Sakura rethink that.

_He's probably one of those immature kind of guys who get off on lesbian porn, and read Spiderman._

So no, she wasn't going to flirt with him.

"Oh I see, you're quite the straightforward type. I like these best," the man commented with not so subtle amusement gracing his tone. Sakura felt like slapping herself, and stepping on the stranger's toes.

"Shut up. I wasn't -" Sakura started, but the the man interrupted her. And chuckled.

"Really? I'm pretty sure you were just drooling over me," the man retorted, and his grin grew even broader." I know you can't help it: I'm a hot man after all."

Oh for goodness sake, Sakura thought, clenching her fingers. So, he was that type of guy.

A damned macho.

"I wasn't droolin-wait, who are _you_?" Sakura nearly yelled out, but decency and the desire to not embarrass herself in front of a perfect stranger kept her voice from raising. But Sakura still felt herself trembling with rage, and knew that her cheeks were burning red.

Oh, if she'd only been a five-year-old. Then, she could have spat right into that idiot's face.

"The new guy, or the new neighbour at least," the man said pleasantly, waggling his eyebrows in what could only be called a suggestive manner, and the words he said next could only be categorised as 'lecherous':

"And I'm sure we'll have lots of fun together."

Sakura rose her eyebrows, and shook her head.

"Right."

"What you're doubting me?" the guy asked, looking utterly stupefied. It nearly -- and that was only because Sakura was feeling tired, her brain wasn't working properly -- made him look adorable.

"Look, first off, I don't need any kind of 'fun', thank you very much and I'm still not convinced that you're my neighbour," Sakura snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She did her best imitation of looking like Mr Grinch. Because, she sure as hell didn't want him to think her pretty. Or make him call her "sugar" again – and a menacing Mr Grinch type of woman wasn't someone you'd call "sugar".

"No, really, I am your new neighbour," the man stated, pulling out a key, and placing it into the keyhole. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.

_The door won't open - he's definitely a liar!_

But to her dismay, the door really did open. She muttered 'shit' under her breath, and let out a frustrated sigh.

_God, I'm really blessed, aren't I?_

"See? I told you," the man stated simply, and broke into a wide smile. "Looks as if we're going to live side by side for a long time."

"Ah, as if I cared," Sakura retorted, and huffed. The man simply shrugged his shoulders, and continued to smile, as if he already knew that this wasn't the truth.

Sakura shook her head again, and wondered whether the man was a) on drugs or b) really that sort of guy who wasn't put off by anything. An eternal optimist, so to speak.

Well, whatever it was, she really didn't care. Her mind had, by this point, already dismissed her new neighbour as an annoying, useless sort of type.

The sort of man that she wouldn't bother herself about; she'd ignore him, even if he was – somewhat – good-looking.

Sakura, however, wasn't that desperate (there were tons of good-looking guys out there, weren't there?). She didn't need him. Nor any man, for that matter.

And with that Sakura walked out, feeling no need to be kind to him. It wasn't as if he was the love of her life or anything.

--

**TBC**


	3. Not Everything Is The Way It Seems

**A/N:**

The update was long overdue. I'm sorry for the wait; I had a long line of RL issues to deal with. Thanks goes to **catharticdeficit** who was kind enough to edit this for me, in spite of not liking the pairing. There's a shift in narration in this chapter. It was really necessary, in order to keep this story easy to write. Plus, I just don't want to rob myself of the pleasure of writing from Naruto's POV.

All concrit is appreciated. Just please try to refrain from sending me hateful comments. I'm kind of a nervous wreck because of exams, and don't need anyone to worsen my already bad mood – thank you.

----

Naruto brushed the sweat off of his forehead. Then, wincing a bit as he did so, wiped his hand off his shirt that was clinging on him like a second skin. If Tsunade had been here, she'd have told him off. But Naruto was going to change his shirt soon anyway--he'd have to.

Naruto felt like he was dripping in sweat and grime. And what was worse, it was fucking hot outside – broiling hot actually.

Weather reports had predicted sunny weather – beach weather -- but Naruto, shuddering, thought it was more like being exposed to hell on Earth.

When he'd first come into contact with the outside world on this fine day, Naruto had nearly fainted, and he never fainted. Like really (because real man don't faint). But the burning heat and stuffiness of the day had attacked him with such fierce intensity that he'd sought the comforts of the damp staircase as soon as he could.

Yet, damn, it was hot in the apartment, as the windows still weren't shielded by curtains, and were closed as well – kind of stupid, really.

Naruto felt himself growing dizzy, and he had trouble breathing. He longed for cold water, and immediately searched for the black bag he'd brought along with him. He found it close to the door, where he'd first dropped it in a frenzy. With a hastiness that was quite unlike him, Naruto opened it, and in a flash, had a water bottle out. He opened it, and drained it empty in one big gulp.

"Oh yeah," he said, and wiped some of water that had come pooling down from his lip off his chin. A lifesaver.

It really was hot in here.

Fuck, it was a wonder he hadn't dropped dead yet, and he'd spent the last forty minutes carrying boxes up the stairs and back again. Each and every time, he'd been forced to walk down, grab the boxes out of his car and mount the damned creaking stairs again.

Really.

Too much was too much.

Why didn't this apartment have a lift? You'd think that in the twenty-first century, in the heyday of internet and all that jazz, every apartment would be furnished with an elevator that saved you the trouble of walking. But apparently, this wasn't the case here.

Maybe, it had been a bad idea to leave. Tsunade and Jiraiya had protested – maybe they'd been right about this apartment thing being a bad idea.

_It looks empty_, he thought as he threw a quick glance around it, noting how the white-washed walls and the brown floor were very unappealing to his eyes. He liked his things brighter.

_Right, my furniture is still at my old place. Have to ask Jiraiya to lend me his van, and get it tomorrow. But I'm too tired now._

Naruto sighed loudly, and walked over to one of the windows. With loud and energetic movements of his hands, he opened it in one motion, and groaned when a chorus of noises, and sensations assaulted his senses. He lived close to the city now, and would have to get used to the traffic jams.

Oh well, he'd have to deal with this place. At least for month since he'd paid this month's rent. After that, he could leave, and move to an area that was green, and where it didn't seem to suck as much as it did here. Or he'd just return where he'd come from.

_And I very well might. Bitchy people live here, and I don't have the strength to argue with them. Not anymore._

There had been the guy downstairs who'd refused to help him, and than there was this tsundere of a woman who lived next door to him. Naruto slapped himself on the forehead when he recalled how he'd behaved towards her.

Shit, I could have really spared myself that "Hey sugar" comment or any sort of reference to sex, Naruto thought, and cringed when he recalled her face. It had been scary. Quite intimidating.

Naruto was thankful that he was looking out of the window now – the wind was cool. He welcomed the blast of air, feeling more and more refreshed by the minute. Still, his mind wasn't that easily reconciled

_I don't know why I always have this sort of pre-teen behaviour when talking to women... whatever, Tsunade was right. I really can't talk to women at all._

Shame, she'd been pretty – really pretty. Green eyes, slender body and a temper to match that Naruto had always been attracted to girls like that – he was drawn to them like a moth to the flame. To tease them made him feel exhilarated, even though he knew they'd mostly likely sue him for sexual molestation or what not.

But then he did it for the kicks, not because he really believed that he'd ever have the chance of getting to know a girl like that.

Then, Naruto really did slap himself on his head. That stupid emo bastard had been rubbing off on him. Or he'd just been too sentimental lately. Moving and such did this to people. Even him. He couldn't leave this place just because he'd had a bad start with his neighbour. Hell no.

_I won't leave. I never give up. And, I won't give up now. Believe it._

---

"This is it?" the stern feminine voice asked, and Naruto backed away, hoping that the woman wouldn't exact physical violence on him. He'd already been intimidated too much. Damn her.

"Yes," Naruto replied laughingly, and scratched the back of his head awkwardly -- a nervous habit of his.

Tsunade looked at the apartment disapprovingly and Naruto was forced to hold back his laughter. Years had passed since he'd been that twelve-year-old brat who'd first called her an old hag. And yet, there was a part of him that would never stop flinching when she looked at him like that. It made him want to yell, and stamp his feet on the ground just to defy her. But he wasn't a kid now, was he?

"I'm really not happy with you doing this, brat."

"I'm not a brat anymore, I'm – twenty-seven. About time, I lived on my own again," Naruto replied in a joking tone, and smiled broadly. But Tsunade frowned, and shot a stern glance at his direction. Naruto's smile faded away immediately, and was replaced by something more serious. It wasn't easy to describe.

_I just can't fool her. Not her._

"Now? Aren't you sure it isn't too soon?"

"I can't keep on mourning forever. I have to move on," Naruto said, and paused, thinking of how empty these words sounded. He shut his eyes and sighed loudly. "Some way or the other."

Tsunade didn't reply back, and Naruto saw that she didn't buy it. And he knew that she was right not to buy it. He cracked his fingers, and bit his underlip, feeling how the skin on his lip was torn and dry. He really had chapped lips, and his hands were always dry, calloused even. He needed air.

Naruto walked to the open window and looked out if it. There were cars rushing by, of all colours and possible sizes: small cars, vans and, sometimes, he saw a motorcycle dashing along the road, going God knew where. Naruto sighed as a warm breeze tickled his skin and made the hair that fell onto his face to rise slightly and move in accord with the wind.

A nice image, Naruto thought, if you were the type for that. But what he liked was the image of hair whipping when someone drove a motorbike.

He tried to imagine what it was like to sit on a motorcycle again. He'd used to do it a lot in the past. Whenever, he'd felt like escaping, he'd just sat down on his motorbike and drove away to – wherever he felt like. He'd just done it.

"I couldn't stay where I was. It was too much – all of it, it was too much," he said in a quiet voice, and Tsunade observed that he was shaking. She walked towards him, and – doing something she rarely did – Tsunade walked slowly, cautiously nearly. When she saw that Naruto wasn't going to shrink away from her, she placed her hand on his shoulder. The trembling subsided.

Naruto turned to face her, and grinned – this time, the grin wasn't fake.

"I met an interesting girl today – my new neighbour who lives next door. Kinda feisty. Reminded of you," Naruto started, and recalled how her eyes had really blinked furiously at him the same way Tsunade's did when she was about to punch him. He shook his head. "Though you have bigger breasts."

Tsuande grinned back, knowing what would come next. In some aspects, this boy – this boy of hers, really – hadn't changed at all. Stupid boy, she thought, and made a note to berate Jirayia when she came home. That stupid man and his perverted novels had corrupted Naruto beyond doubt. Though, only in his mouth work. Tsunade knew that Naruto wasn't any kind of player, and Jirayia – well he couldn't be. Or, Tsunade thought, while cackling internally and smashing her left hand into her right one, he'd have been castrated by now.

_A cheating husband is something I'll never accept._

"And you hit off well?"

"No. I had to tease her," Naruto said. "And she didn't react well to that. But you know me: big mouth. It's always gotten me into trouble."

"You're not regretting it, are you? I mean, it's not like you're interested in her?"

Naruto paled. What the hell was the old hag insinuating?

"Damn no. You know that – that it's too soon for that," Naruto said quietly, and he bit his underlip nervously, so forcedly that he could taste blood."Besides, she was a bitch, and you know I can't stand women like that."

Tsuande snorted. "You know, I can very well imagine why she might have been bitchy towards you. You should learn that women don't go for the macho type."

"Oh come on. You know that I'm not like that," Naruto said in a defensive tone, and pouted. He hated it when Tsunade referred to him like that.

"I know. But she doesn't," Tsunade chided, and then broke out in howling laughter. Naruto gaped at her, horrified, and then joined in the laughter. He couldn't help it. This wasn't really a laughing matter, but then – maybe – it was.

"And... why should she know?" Naruto demanded, his voice still hoarse from laughing.

"Well, you're gonna live next door to her, and if a fire ever breaks out, it's not bad to have good relations to your neighbours," Tsunade said in perfect seriousness, and then, noticing Naruto's sceptical expression, added," Besides, you need someone to keep you in check."

"Aren't you and the bastard, enough?"

"No. I think the girl's just right."

Naruto didn't say anything in response. Once Tsunade said something so determinedly, he knew that nothing was going to change her mind. And he'd already gotten to know her fist too well.

---

Ino was just flicking through her favourite Jane Austen novel on her very soft and comfortable couch when a bell rang on the door.

And then, followed by the bell ringing, there was a knock, which quite startled her. She jumped up in fright. Mostly because it was a very loud knock, as if opening the door were a matter of life and death. It was quite a surprise that Shikamaru hadn't been woken up by the noise, but then the man could sleep through a hurricane.

"Sakura, wow – you're earlier than usual," Ino exclaimed, panting as she opened the door wide a-jar, and a furious-looking Sakura marched in.

"Oh shut up, pig-face."

Sakura immediately walked past Ino, but not before slamming the door behind her with an ear-crushing bang. Ino winced, and her inner alarm bell started to ring immediately. Sakura was angry -- but so was Ino.

Ino, clenching her fist, thought that – well that this – just wasn't the way to go around greeting old friends. Besides, no one treated her like this. No one. She hated it when someone call her pig, or any variation of it.

"Oh no you don't – you don't come in here telling me to shut up and just whizz past me without a proper greeting," Ino said, finally giving her frustration a voice.

Sakura grimaced, and stuck out her tongue in sheer defiance. Ino didn't frighten her. Plus, she'd never heard someone use the word "whizz" in that context. Then, she remembered -- with a grin -- that Ino had always been odd.

But Sakura's mirth didn't last long when she remembered what had brought her here so quickly. Sakura sighed loudly and her face fell, revealing a grim and sour-looking expression.

Ino's anger disappeared and she dropped her clenched fist.

"What's gotten into you?" Ino asked, now sounding more worried than anything.

Perhaps, Sakura had meet up with Neji again, and he'd said something hurtful.

Even if Sakura didn't wish to admit it, the break-up had hurt. Then, Ino reasoned, it was better that way – the break-up had done Sakura good. Neji hadn't really loved Sakura the way she was, and Ino felt that Sakura deserved someone who loved her exactly as she was – and nothing else.

Even if she was a violent, messy, more than a bundle of contradictions, and spent a good deal of time being a stubborn man-hater.

"Hey, Sakura. Tell me. Shikamaru's still sleeping. So, it's only between us," Ino urged, observing her friend with earnest concern.

Sakura didn't answer, but kicked off her shoes, and walked to the living room. Ino followed her, feeling her anxiety grow by the minute. Sakura just continued walking, and only stopped when she reached her destination: the couch. Then, she – not so elegantly – plopped down on the couch, which as Ino observed, was her favourite spot to sit on. She watched with even more fascination how Sakura, not caring one bit for propriety, shamelessly made herself comfortable on it. Ino, sighing, could do nothing, but take a seat opposite of Sakura. On a much harder and way more uncomfortable seat, mind you.

Sakura finally decided to speak, after she'd sprawled herself out like a lazy cat on the couch. She yawned a few times before speaking, and Ino rolled her eyes. She'd never seen someone as lazy as that before. Well, apart from her husband, which explained why she got along so well with Sakura.

"What is there to tell? I'm tired, haven't been laid for months and – damn it all – I've met my new neighbour – and he's a failure at life."

Ino crossed her arms, and stared at Sakura incredulously. So, she was starting that habit again – brushing people off, though she'd only met them. Really.

"What did he do – this precious new neighbour of yours?"

"Oh, he's an utter chauvinist. The macho guy we've both been -"

"Sakura, to you all men are chauvinists, and machos," Ino said in a bored tone, and knew what was going to happen next. As usual, Sakura would defend herself and stick out her tongue. Years of knowing the woman had made Ino more than good at reading her.

"Well, that's true- most men are," Sakura shot-back, and stuck her tongue out -- just as Ino had predicted. Ino gigled, but stopped when Sakura shot her a death-glare.

"Not all," Ino protested, and crossed her arms. "The man I married is neither a chauvinist nor a macho."

Sakura groaned, and shook her head. "Well, you married a lazy ass."

Ino whopped Sakura on the shoulder. "Shut up! He's not an ass at all."

"I know. I was only joking."

And Ino knew that Sakura was not pulling her leg. All appearances aside, Sakura harboured quite the amount of affection and respects towards Shikamaru. Maybe, because he was the one man Sakura knew who didn't go around breaking women's hearts.

"But you know, -- I'm thinking that you might a bit too quick in your judgement of men. Not every man wants to get into someone's pants. Some are serious."

"About what – cars?"

"No, about settling down. Finding the right partner in life."

"You sound like so cliché it hurts. I don't want anyone, okay? I've got liberty and freedom. And you – are just so old-fashioned."

"Well, maybe I am. But I also know that it's awful to be lonely," Ino retorted defensively. "And you should know that I managed to graduate and all, in spite of marrying at 18."

"Yeah, but that's only because you haven't got any roaring kids in the-"Sakura's face paled immediately, and she felt like running far away, just to escape what was going to happen next. Her stupid blasted mouth. "I'm sorry. I forgot that you can't have any-"

Ino interrupted her immediately, and in a sterner tone than necessary said:

"It doesn't matter, Sakura. It really doesn't."

But Sakura saw that it wasn't all right. Ino's face was sad, devastated even, and Sakura recalled that – no matter how much she disapproved of it – that her best friend loved kids. She'd always had. Ino had always been the first one to volunteer to baby-sitting for friends, and it had been her dream to be a florist, alongside of having a large family.

She'd achieved in one aspect. But she'd failed in the other. Sakura, while watching the agitation flitting over Ino's face, felt the bile rise to her throat. She'd totally fucked it up again. She didn't look at Ino, but stared down at the carpeted floor.

_Maybe, I'm a bit too fast on judging people, really. Not everyone is like me._

"Sakura, it's really fine. I'm hurt, but it's not like – I'll die or something. Beside, there are other options," Ino said, breaking Sakura's reverie.

Sakura smiled, and raising from the couch tackled Ino in a bear hug. Ino didn't say anything, and Sakura felt grateful for that. She didn't deserve a friend like that, but she also knew that she couldn't live without Ino. Letting ago of Ino again, Sakura returned to the spot where she'd been sitting, and loudly ordered:

"Come now, cut out the serious stuff. Wake that darling husband of yours up and get him to cook. He might be a lazy ass, but he's a fantastic cook."

"Aren't you ashamed to be saying stuff like that?" Ino answered, but rose in spite of herself. There was no way she could say "no" to Sakura.

"No. Husbands are there for the woman to be happy."

"Says the one who never wants to get married."

"I never said I didn't, I just need to find the guy who'll -"

"Make you happy. Good luck in that, considering how hard it's to make you happy."

Sakura growled in mock-anger, and then threw a pillow at Ino. "Shut up, pig-face, and get going!"

---

When Sakura walked home, she was surprised by the darkness and coldness of the night. It had been hot during the day. For precisely that reason, Sakura hadn't bothered to go out in anything warmer than a light pullover which -- of course -- was a poor shield against the biting cold. And it was biting cold right now; the cold air hovered above, and surrounded her like an all-encompassing thick blanket.

Sakura's teeth clattered melodiously against one another while she walked up the stairs to her apartment door. It was slightly dark in the corridor as well, even though there was a weak jet of light burning above her. However, it wasn't enough to banish the omnipresence of the darkness.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief as she approached her door, and she felt the bad mood that had been plaguing her up to this moment leave her. She grinned, thinking of her warm bed and soft pillows, and looked forward to a good night's rest. But then, to her surprise, the door didn't open.

Once again, the lock was giving her problems. Sakura's grin immediately disappeared, and she gritted her teeth in anger. She started to chew upon her lower lip, and the bit into the inside of her mouth – a bad habit that she hadn't managed to drop yet. Sakura let out an "uggh" when she felt the tangy taste of blood on her tongue, and her fury rose at an alarming pace. She shuddered, and started to bang against the door with a nearly beastly frenzy.

_If the door doesn't open now, I'll just barge in by smashing the door. Damn I will!_

Then she heard a voice – a male voice.

"Can I help you?"

Though, there was no "hey sugar" attached to question this time, Sakura recognised the voice immediately, and her temper flared up even more.

"What do you want?" Sakura uttered callously, and fixed the man – her new neighbour – with a "bugger off, or I'll kill you" look.

Naruto backed away nervously, and shook his head. His voice sounded forcedly good-natured as he spoke.

"Nothing. Nothing. It's just that you're rather loud," he admitted, and conveniently left out that she'd woken him up. She didn't look like she'd have reacted favourably to that. More like, Naruto thought, she would have only thrown something like "why should I fucking care?" at him.

Sakura, meanwhile, was a bit flabbergasted. Loud? She hadn't been-

_Oops, I must have cursed loudly again. Well, shit. And yeah, I've been banging against the door._

Her hands were reddened, and Sakura groaned as she felt a stinging sensation. She'd been too violent, okay. Still, it wasn't any of his business.

"Look, if you're just going to hit on me again..."

She heard the man sigh, and Sakura felt even more angered.

"That was a just a joke. A bad joke on my side, but err... a joke, okay?" Naruto admitted sheepishly, and scratched his head. He coughed discretely, and looked at the floor.

Damn, what had happened to his "I'm so cool" act? He'd managed just fine when he met her first. But that woman's tapping her foot impatiently against the floor and her no-nonsense expression made him feel quite nervous. More nervous than he'd been for quite a while. Naruto swore that his hands were sweating, and that his heart was racing. Damn.

"Sometimes I say stupid things because that's the stuff men do ... when they're trying to impress someone. And Jiraiya always tells me – forget it."

Naruto looked away, and swallowed audibly. No need for her to know about Jiraiya and his sex books. Or his ex-teacher Kakashi who had an enormous passion for porn and high school girls.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. This wasn't the sexy man-beast she'd met this morning. Why, she thought, a smirk appearing on her features, this was – this was just adorable. He was just kind of awkward – and nearly shy? But she couldn't say that aloud. Calling men adorable was just a big no-no.

"God, you're just pathetic."

Naruto cringed. "Well, I was trying to lighten the mood."

"By telling me that we'd have – I quote – fun together? By calling me sugar?" Sakura grew enraged again as she listed the words he'd directed at her in the morning, and had to calm herself before continuing,"... and lastly, by referring to yourself as a hot man?"

Naruto shook his head.

"You don't really have any sense of humour, do you?" he then said, and grinned in a foxy, nearly boyish sort of way that made Sakura feel immediately more at ease, in spite of herself. Somehow, she couldn't really be angry him for too long. Damn his boyish charm.

_He just seems to be the immature type. I was right – the sort of guy who reads Spiderman, and desperately tries to parade as a macho._

"I do, depending on the joke."

"Well, I'll try to keep to remember that," Naruto said in response, and laughed awkwardly. Then, his blue eyes widened, and he blurted out: "I forgot. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but it's fine if you just call me Naruto."

"Sakura Haruno. You can call me Sakura, but that's the only intimacy I allow," Sakura said warningly, and then stuck out her tongue. A part of her, she realised, would never really grow up.

Naruto just shook his head again, and then held out his hand. He wasn't going to taunt her any further. After all, he wanted this to be the beginning of a good friendship. Yeah, friendship, and not what the old hag had suggested.

Sakura, though she, accepted the outstretched hand in front of her. She was surprised to note how warm, and large it was. Naruto's hand wrapped itself tightly around her hand, and he shook it with fervent and earnest energy. He let it go then, and Sakura felt like kicking herself. She'd hoped he wouldn't have let go off her hand that soon.

"Good, I'm glad we've finally introduced ourselves," Naruto said, and remembered what had brought him out to the hall in the first place. Sakura, it seemed, could never open the door, and Naruto, seeing how she was shuddering, decided that he could help her out. And he would.

"What?" Sakura asked, noticing that Naruto had fallen silent. She hoped he wasn't planning anything stupid, but he pointed to the door.

"If you want, I can open it for you," Naruto suggested, and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not an expert at these things, but I can try."

"Well, if you want to," Sakura said, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok," Naruto said, and tried his best with the door. There was some thumping and a bit of groaning on his side, but – to Sakura's surprise – the door opened. Maybe, this guy wasn't that useless.

"Thank you ... Naruto. I appreciate it. I'll go in then. Good night."

"You're welcome, and good night," Sakura heard him say before she closed her door.

---

**TBC**


	4. So You're Gay, Great

**A/N: **

I'm trying to be faster with updates, now that I'm free for a while. This chapter was amazingly fun to write, but I think the characterisation seems off to me. I really don't know. I'm not going to angst over it. Anyhow, this got way more intense than I'd originally planned. I would have gotten this out sooner, but I was seriously upset. Sorry. For any remaining errors, I apologise as well. I usually edit at least three times more after posting. If it's utterly unreadable though, tell me.

All kind of feedback is love.

--

Sakura had always hated getting up early. Ever since, she'd started going to school, waking up in the mornings had been a pain in the neck for her, and Sakura swore that her mother had nearly suffered an aneurysm because of her tardiness. And things hadn't really changed since then.

Sakura threw the alarm clock on the floor this time, where it caused a bit of loud bang, but nothing thing, it seemed, was kind of unbreakable. Ino really did know her too well, and had bought her some indestructible kind of clock.

Sakura swore, and remembered that her mother had nearly always suffered a nervous breakdown because of that. She detested how tardy and vulgar Sakura's habits were.

Well, she'd certainly suffer from one if she saw me now, Sakura thought snidely, as she spat into the water basin, and surveyed her now sparkling white teeth in the mirror. Then, she quickly applied some make-up – really basic stuff that would keep her from looking like a complete hag, but still made her look professional enough at the clinic.

After all, she didn't need any male patients flirting with her. She wasn't cheap.

Lookin' good, she thought again, and grinned at her own reflection. She'd lost a bit of off weight – not that she'd ever been fat, mind you.

Sakura didn't belong to the type of women who were falsely modest about themselves. She knew that she had a good body – athletic and with just the right amount of curves to not suffer like Marcy D' Arcy from being mistaken for a young boy. More so, she had a pretty face, and knew that she easily looked a few years younger than her age. Always a good thing, in her books. A woman could never look too young (well, as long as she didn't look jail bait, it was fine). She was twenty-seven now, and although Sakura didn't feel old in the least, she knew that the days where it had been considered cute to dress in pink and chew bubblegum were long since gone.

But things got better with age.

When she'd been younger, Sakura had suffered from a (minor) inferiority complex about her breasts, but now at twenty-seven, she knew that she was better off having a B-cup.

_Imagine, having to run around with a D-cup – disgusting. Bouncing big breasts are only something perverted college boys reading ecchi manga enjoy. Not women who have to live with these "bouncing beauties" twenty-four hours a day. _

She really didn't envy these women at all. She knew how much it hurt to run around without a bra. She could very well imagine how tortured this women had to be. They always had to wear a bra, and she knew that their backs hurt often.

_Does Naruto like big breasts, I wonder? _

Sakura hadn't really thought about her new neighbour lately. Sure, they met on the hall from time to time, and exchanged greetings, but that was it. Naruto was a nice guy, she thought. Okay, so he wasn't really the brightest crayon in the box, as he'd proven the third time they'd met. That time, he'd managed to – miraculously – trip over his own shoes while running up to meet her. Naruto really was an idiot, but a good guy, nevertheless.

Sakura frowned. She couldn't recall the last time she'd called a guy "good" in her mind.

It wasn't as if she'd fallen in love. That sort of stuff only happened in those dumb romantic comedies where you could predict the plot halfway before the film ended. Yet, of course, Ino – once she'd heard the tale of Naruto's real nature – had immediately fallen into the annoying habit of assuming that this was the start of "something new".

Sakura, of course, had stepped on Ino's toe for that, not only for the High School Musical reference, but also for being such an uber twit.

And as it was, she'd only known him for what – a month, at most? And during that month, Sakura hadn't developed anything close to "fluttery butterfly feelings" developing in her stomach.

_So maybe, he's not an ass, but I'm beyond falling in love at this point. _

--

"Mr Onizuka, I will not go on a date with you," Sakura repeated for the third time in the past fifteen minutes, and crossly, threw a glance at the clock. The injection was going to take a while to work, and the few minutes that it would take to work seemed like endless torture to her. Mostly because this middle-aged, balding guy kept sending suggestive looks in her direction. She also didn't miss how he was undressing her with his eyes.

_If manhandling wasn't illegal, I'd do it right here on the spot_, Sakura thought viciously and had to refrain herself from laughing out loud. Mr Onizuka asked her again.

"No, you're married, and I don't think your wife would react well to that. You remember, what she did the last time, don't you?"

At the mention of wife, the man – thankfully – paled, and started to shudder. Sakura turned around and grinned maliciously. That always worked. Men, she'd realised, weren't really anything but cowards. And nothing could beat a woman who'd been wronged.

_A woman whose heart has been broken is deadlier than a thousand poisonous snakes. _

---

Sakura walked up the stairs in slow and leisurely steps. She took a couple of deep breaths, and rested every now and then. Her feet ached, and she swore that she'd drop dead any given time soon. God knew, she'd been up on her feet since six o'clock in the morning and the last few steps up to her apartment were killing her.

Then, just as Sakura was about to take another few steps, a man swept past her. Now, there was nothing unusual in that.

Only that this man had been dressed in a shirt that exposed his mid-riff and showed a bit of his – well, it nearly showed off his groin, and that was more than Sakura had ever wanted to see. Never mind the fact that her inner pervert was going "give me more, more!".

Sakura stopped right there, and cursed her inner pervert into the deepest abyss of hell. Then again, Sakura knew that wouldn't work because her inner pervert always came bouncing back.

And he'd come right out of Naruto's apartment. Sakura started to laugh at that, and her insides hurt. God, this was too good. It was so good that she felt like dancing – with mad impish glee.

Really, now she had absolutely nothing to be worried about. At that, Sakura slapped herself on the forehead.

_Was I ever in danger? _

---

"Fuck," Naruto uttered loudly, as he nearly tripped over his own shoes (again). He was so busy trying to sweep his apartment that he'd forgotten to take care of the shoes first.

Tsnuade had told him to be more open to his neighbours, but Naruto didn't see any purpose in that. He'd heard that some people in Tokyo lived side by side by side for years and years, and yet, knew nothing of each other. But then, this wasn't a damned village, and there was no reason why he should be so fully familiar with everyone. It wasn't going to make him like the asshole neighbour downstairs any more. And Sakura...

Well, Sakura – she was kind of nice, really. If you went for the sarcastic type of woman. At times, Naruto wasn't sure whether Sakura was mocking him or ... well, making fun of him.

"You should invite her over for a cup of tea," Jiraiya had told him, but he'd waggled his eyebrows and done some vulgar hand movements, which had looked very much like a screwdriver being drilled into a hole. And well, Naruto wasn't stupid enough to miss the metaphor in this case.

Besides, _drink tea_?

Naruto didn't even own any tea in his apartment. He never drank it because tea was nothing else but hot water. He drank coke. That was – well maybe not healthier – but tastier. Tea tasted so boring.

Naruto slammed his fist on the table. He really was losing his mind, and he'd sworn to himself that he'd never lose his mind over a girl. Not again.

However, it didn't mean he couldn't invite Sakura over.

---

Sakura accepted the invitation, not so much because she was curious to see his apartment – hell no, that would have been so awfully cliché – but because she was bored. Yeah, bored. That was always the best excuse.

But then, Sakura was really bored: there was nothing on TV, Ino was busy working and well, Sakura wasn't as desperate to seek out Shikamaru's company. That man either watched clouds, played Shougi or did other things she really didn't give a damn about. Why Ino had married him, of all people, always reminded a mystery to her.

"He's the most loyal man I've ever met, " Ino had told her once, and Sakura thought, while she was waiting for Naruto to open the door, that there was maybe something about that loyalty of Shikamaru's that made Ino love him so much. And it was right: Shikamaru was loyal. He'd stayed with her all through highschool, university and he'd supported Ino when she'd learnt that she could never have children. In spite of the fact that Shikamaru had always wanted to have children as well. Sakura knew that Ino felt guilty, but she also knew that Shikamaru would stay by Ino's side, no matter what.

Sakura felt her throat go dry. She had to be going crazy, but then a part of her couldn't deny that it touched her. And she felt that respect she'd always had for Shikamaru being rekindled.

_I think Ino is one of those few lucky girls to have met a guy who isn't a total moron. _

--

Naruto led her into the apartment while rubbing his hands awkwardly and babbling lots of nonsense. He could feel the sweat running down his back again, and hell, that was so embarrassing. Even his hands were sweaty, and Naruto felt like cursing. Why did he always feel so flustered around her? It was as if she were the object of his fantasises, someone he had a crush on and Naruto was pretty damn certain that he wasn't crushing on her, no sir.

No, he was nervous because she was like Tsunade, and a spitfire like that always made him more fidgety than usual.

"I'm sorry it's not really that clean yet- but err, I haven't really settled in yet, and it takes so much time to settle in and there's lots of stuff to still move from my other apartment and that ..."

Sakura stopped listening. Really, didn't the guy realise he was using a never-ending run on sentence? She was bored. Naruto's apartment was nice, but there was nothing striking about it. It was just as she'd expected it to look like: lots of bright furniture, manga books stacked away in remote corners and posters from sci-movies hanging on the walls. Naruto wasn't a classy man and his apartment was only a reflection of thus.

It was really dull. Her day had been so dull, and the only interesting thing that had happened was that – yes, Sakura thought, nearly jumping up in glee.

They were in the kitchen now, and drinking what Sakura realised was badly prepared tea. Green tea. She hated it green tea, but Sakura decided to be polite for once. So, she drank it even if the taste was less than enjoyable.

_I've found the perfect distraction to my boredom. _

"So, do you and your boyfriend have lots fun on that bed?" Sakura asked out of the blue, and she grinned snugly as she saw how Naruto froze, right there on his seat.

Naruto halted, and nearly choked on his drink. His eyes went as wide as saucers – figuratively, of course.

Boyfriend? Had he heard right or was going deaf at a young age?

Sakura started to smile, and her hand ran over the rim of her cup with steadfast movements. She had to move her hands somehow. This was so exciting! "There's no need to be shy. I saw that guy leaving your apartment tonight."

Naruto, however, didn't seem to fully grasp what she was saying, and the truth was, that he really wasn't grasping things at all. The line came crashing down upon him like a ton of bricks. Or something like that. Here, they'd been finally getting along with each other without him feeling like an idiot for half of the time, and then she said something like this. Naruto was pretty sure he would have died of a heart attack, if he hadn't been made out of stronger material.

"... Sakura, which guy?" he dumbly sputtered, and looked at her with a gaze that reminded her way too much of a helpless little boy. And Naruto was anything but a helpless little boy. He was a full-grown man.

"Oh your boyfriend. And come on, you can admit you're gay."

"I'm not gay," Naruto insisted firmly, and then shaking his head, cursed internally. That damned Sai. He always had to go around and dress like a homosexual stripper. Of course, he couldn't blame Sakura for getting the wrong sort of ideas.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and her grin – slightly lecherous in nature – grew broader. "Of course, you aren't."

"I'm really not. That was Sai, he's a friend of mine," Naruto told her adamantly, and his eyes – now really wide – were fixed on her. He hoped that Sakura could see the begging look there.

"A sex friend you mean-"

"No, he's an artist-"

"Ah, so your sex life must be int-"

Naruto interrupted her rudely because there was no way in hell he wanted to listen her mention him and Sai with any reference to sex ever again. It gave him the wrong sort of mental images, and Naruto, who'd always been a very vivid person, would be haunted by these images in his sleep.

"I'm not having sex with him!" Naruto shot back, and he was slowly losing grip of his cool. Not that he'd been cool before, really, but then the pretension that he'd been made Naruto feel better about himself. It just wasn't cool to admit that this was troubling him so much.

"Ah, just don't want to admit that you like having it shoved up in the as-"

That did it. Something inside of Naruto snapped – and it was his reason, which kept him seeing things rationally, and stopped him from doing stupid things.

Couldn't that woman should up? He wasn't gay. Naruto couldn't once in his life have recalled the inclination to have been gay. He'd never ever been attracted to a man, and while he saw nothing wrong in being gay, he knew he wasn't. He liked women – hell no, he loved them. Okay, maybe, he didn't love them as much as Jirayia did. Nor he did seem to think that it was necessary to sleep around, but it didn't mean that he was gay, for fuck's sake!

He wasn't interested in anal sex. He never would be. The very thought of someone sticking thei – well, it made him quite green. Other men could like it, but he – Naruto Uzumaki – liked breast, not cock.

And Sai. Sai ... Naruto felt the bile rising in him again.

_Nothing against the guy – I guess, he's hot in his own right. Maybe, even drop dead gorgeous, I don't know, but I'd never ever go to bed with the likes of him. _

And then Naruto decided that there was only thing he could to get her to shut up. It was his last resort, and though it was like suicide, he had no other option. And no, he wasn't doing this for any other reason but to get Haruno Sakura to get shut up. She was to be blamed, not him.

--

Sakura's mind stopped working when she felt Naruto's lips descend on hers. And her heart stopped beating when she felt his hands – those big hands – wrap themselves around her waist. Sakura should have screamed, run away or have kicked him in the balls, but she remained frozen on the spot. The kiss, if it could be called one at all, only lasted a millisecond. Naruto let her go as quickly as he'd seized her.

Sakura, to her dismay, was quite disappointed.

He was breathing harshly, and Sakura could see that his forehead was matted with sweat. She could also see that his eyes – when his gaze met hers for a second – were brighter than usual. They nearly blazed red, it seemed, but Sakura contributed this to the fact that the light in his apartment was odd. Everything in his apartment looked way too bright, and her imagination was probably playing tricks on her mind.

"That was – to shut you up, and prove that I'm not gay," Naruto said quickly without meeting her eyes. He scratched his neck awkwardly, and gulped audibly.

_Please, please don't kill me. Just don't kill me. _

Sakura didn't say anything in response. She was pretty sure that she'd gained that stupefied quality of a fish on a hooker. Damn it.

_He's really just kissed me. And – damn it, he's just like all the rest. All the rest of those perverted asshole men who only care about one thing! _

She slapped Naruto harshly on the face. She regretted it immediately as she saw the shock flicker in his eyes, and noted how one of his hands immediately came to caress his now reddened cheek.

"You didn't have to kiss me," Sakura finally retorted, sounding angrier than she really was, but that wasn't much, given how she felt like murdering someone right now. Preferably Naruto and then herself. Or the whole world for leading her up to his predicament.

"I said it was-" Naruto protested softly, in a much softer tone than she'd expected him to protest, but she still didn't want to listen to him. He didn't deserve to be listened to. No man deserved ever getting a second chance. She'd been disappointed too often.

_I can't be weak now. Not me. _

Sakura still had a reputation to uphold, and then the more she realised what he'd done, something like fury arose within her. Damn, damn it, she thought, he'd kissed her. He'd kissed her. She'd allowed it. But worse than that, he'd kissed her just like that -- without warning. Sakura hated it when people did things without warning. She'd make him pay.

_And worse, I allowed him to do it – and why aren't I pummelling him to death for it now? _

"Who do you think I am? Some kind of kissing doll?"

"No- I said I'm -"

"Damn, you think this is funny, don't you? You're really just a lousy pervert!" Sakura screamed in rage now, angry that ... Sakura didn't know what she was really angry. The fact that he'd kissed her or the fact that _she'd allowed him to do it. She hated him because it mattered so much. _

"Fuck, it was the only way to get you to shut up!" Naruto exploded, and he was shaking in what Sakura could only describe as a mixture of frustration, indignation and hurt. "Do you I'd do it for any other reason? I'm not that damned desperate!"

He wasn't that damned desperate. Sakura didn't know whether to be offended or relieved at that. So, she wasn't that attractive that men lost control around her. Nice. But that wasn't really the most pressing thought in her mind at the moment.

_Naruto- he's so ... _

She could see that Naruto wasn't a man to be trifled with, and it sent something like fear coursing down her spine. Not because she was scared that he'd harm her, but because she'd never expected to such a flash of emotions in a man's face. It scared her that Naruto was so different.

Sasuke had been a stoic mask, either expressing irritation or annoyance. Kiba had grinned a lot at her, but she'd never seen him go from being happy-go-lucky to utterly upset in such a way. And Neji – well Neji he'd rarely shown any emotion other than anger at his family or mild amusement at some of her weird antics. But he'd still been better than Sasuke who'd treated her like her air.

Naruto was something she couldn't quite place, and that was unnerving – because it was easier to deal with a man whom you could read like an open book.

It was amazing how Naruto could go from boyishly cute to extremely serious in a matter of a second. But there was something else. Sakura could something nearly dangerous and uninhibited lurking underneath that man's gaze – his eyes had carried way more sorrow and despair than a man like him should have carried with him.

"I'm not the sort of man who kisses women just like that. You just wouldn't shut up – would you have preferred it if I'd had hit you instead?" Naruto asked her, slowly and carefully, which showed her that he wasn't mincing any words. "If you'd been a guy, you'd be – forget it. I'm sorry. I'd rather kill myself than ever hit a girl. I'd rather die than become like – so, I kissed you."

He stopped talking. Naruto walked away from her, and cursed. Sakura had to be the singly most irritating woman he'd ever met. He hadn't lied to her. Had she been a man, Naruto would have pushed her against the wall. Naruto had dealt with people who'd made fun of him like that in the past, and he didn't allow anyone to make fun of him. But she wasn't a bastard, and looking at her, Naruto had to fully convince himself that she wasn't a guy.

Sakura had no idea how to react. She sat there, dumbly on that chair and her hands were helplessly folded in her lap. When had things gotten so serious? She'd managed to upset her neighbour, and now she as flustered and nervous as a deer caught in the headlights.

_Why do I have such a knack for hitting people right there where it hurts the most? I really must be an ignorant twit. _

"Okay, I'm sorry. I get that you're not gay," Sakura finally admitted awkwardly, and shook her head. He'd chided her for not possessing any kind of humour, but – really. The Sai comment hadn't been intended to be anything more than a bit of innocent teasing. Then again, she shouldn't have gone that far. Maybe, she'd hit the wrong button. "You don't have overreact like that. But then I guess, I was overdoing it a bit. I shouldn't have slapped you."

Naruto sat down again, and shook his head. "I have a volatile temper – it's not something I'm proud of. Well, Tsunade tells me I shouldn't be. She keeps on telling me that I take things too much to heart at times."

Naruto stopped talking then, and stood up – going back to the window that he'd taken a liking to. He'd always gaze out of it now, always watching the cars drive by. He sometimes wondered where they'd drive off to, and whether once they are arrived, they found peace.

Sakura could see that he was growing morose again – the smile on his face wasn't a happy one. She could see that it was more of an upset once, and Sakura decided that she didn't like it one bit. Naruto looked better when he smiled in all earnest.

"So who's this Sai guy?" Sakura asked, while wringing her hands a bit awkwardly. "I think after all the commotion he's caused, I think I deserve to know."

Silence took over in the room, as Naruto lost himself in thought. Sakura could hear the clock ticking, something rattle – maybe it was the fridge. She hated it, so Sakura found herself breaking the silence (just to not have to bear it anymore).

"Naruto, I'm going to tease you anymore – I swear."

Naruto didn't answer at first. "You won't laugh at me if I tell you?"

"Oh come on," Sakura said, and urged herself not to explode right now. But her hands were already shaking, and Naruto's hesitance was making her angry. Not enough that she was already nervous and flustered, he was now making things worse by acting like an over-sensitive twit! God, she hated complicated men.

Naruto then walked over to the table, and then sat down on the rickety stool again. He took a deep breath, and looked at Sakura nearly imploringly. He needed her to know that it wasn't easy for him to do this.

"I'm a mangaka – okay? I work all day and night. Sai's my assistant. He's a bit ... odd and all, but he's a fantastic with sketches."

Naruto coughed, and looked away. There he'd done it. He'd confessed what he earned his bread with. Sakura was silent for a moment, and Naruto then feared she was going to burst out laughing. It wasn't something that he could blame her for. There was this common misconception floating about that guys who drew manga were fat nerds with pimples all over their faces and other unflattering notions. He'd been laughed at quite a few times in the past.

But to his surprise, her face revealed interest, and it was genuine. Naruto couldn't know, but Sakura was quite a fan of manga. Especially, seinen manga. In her school days, she'd been looked up as tomboyish and ungirly because of that but Sakura didn't care. Stories of maidenly, housewifely girls being swept away by hot stoic guys didn't captivate her interest. Never mind the fact that she'd had daydreams about Sasuke riding off with her in the sunset. Never mind the fact that she'd thrown herself at his feet as soon as he'd expressed interest in her. Sakura realised the irony now, but she wasn't going to beat herself up over it.

_What happened, happened._

"I'm mean that's amazing. You wouldn't mind showing me some your work, wouldn't you?" Sakura asked excitedly, and was amazed at herself how excited she was. She was glad how her interest made the tense expression on his face disappear.

--

Sakura couldn't sleep that night. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget. It was stupid and cliché, but there you had it. Sometimes, no matter how hard she tried to escape the common traps, Sakura found herself plunging right into them.

_I'm attrac- No, I like him. _

It wasn't attraction yet. It certainly wasn't love, but Sakura wanted to know more about Naruto. She wanted to be closer to him, and she wouldn't mind if something more came out of it. Because, her gut instinct told her, that if the kiss had lasted only a few seconds more, she would have started kissing Naruto back. No, scratch that, she would have probably initiated another kiss if her pride hadn't protested that much.

Truth to be told, Sakura was lonely. She realised it right now, while being alone on that bed and having nothing to cuddle on to but that stupid pillow. She'd long since stopped keeping teddy bears in her room and was allergic to cats.

But that wasn't all, Sakura thought as she sat up in bed, it wasn't all. If she'd been so desperate for company, she could have found it in Neji's arms. Sakura knew that he would have accepted her back. But Sakura didn't want sex. She'd long since lost interest in that because these "no strings attached" relationships made her feel empty.

It was dark in her room. Sakura never kept the light on, even though she'd been scared of the dark as a child. She still was at times. But that wasn't what she was looking for either. She could take care of herself.

Besides, Sakura thought that some men needed more protection than she did.

Naruto's scars – she'd never paid attention to them before, but now she wondered where they'd come from. It was strange. For the first time, she realised that there were so many things about him that were off. So, he was a mangaka. She knew that. He lived alone, and was fond of making jokes. He'd nearly made her believe that he was a perverted asshole on the first day they'd met. Sakura realised that she didn't fully buy his "it was just a bad joke on his part" bit. It was nearly as if he'd planned to push her away from the get go. He seemed to be doing this unconsciously, but it was still there.

She wasn't sure. Naruto was so odd. He seemed inviting and open, but there was also something about him that was nearly distant. Besides, if he'd really been that inviting, why had he shown her apartment only recently?

Sakura nearly screamed. It wasn't like her to think so much about other people's thought processes. She usually gave less than a damn, but Naruto ... Naruto was a puzzle she wanted to crack.

_He's never mentioned his parents. I wonder who Tsunade is. _

Not that he must have told her. She was his neighbour, wasn't she?

Well, yes, Sakura thought, she was. His neighbour, most definitely.

But it didn't mean that she couldn't get to know him better.

_-- _

**TBC**_  
_


	5. You're Too Old To Blames Hormones

**A/N: **

Argh. I shouldn't have labelled this as comedy, I'm starting to think. Not that I'm going to introduce any over-excessively dramatic themes here, but this chapter is ... rather intense, I guess (and not romance-wise). I'm sorry if you think I'm dragging the romance in this story, but it's extremely important for me to have the characters bond before they start doing naughty things to each other (then again, don't expect too much of me in the smut department. I'm not known for writing explicit smut). Feedback would be nice. By now, you should know I'm fine with criticism. As for having a beta -- I just can't find a reliable one. I've had the bad experience of having people offering to beta for me, but then ... disappearing without another word, so I'm mostly forced to edit alone.

What I'm saying is that if you'd like to beta for me, please contact me. But please be serious about it.

I'll apologise again for any remaining typos I might have overlooked. As of typing this, I'm incredibly tired. I'm leaving on a trip tomorrow, and I might be internet-less for the next two days.

Edit: Thanks for **catharticdeficit** for editing this chapter again. She is love, and I suck for being such pest.

...

Naruto sighed as he sketched the last pages of the newest chapter he was going to publish by the end of the week. He didn't have trouble keeping up with deadlines, but he wanted to have this done as soon as possible, so that the rest of the days could be spent doing more relaxing stuff like, say, sleeping. Or playing computer games and watching anime from sunrise to sunset. In short, Naruto looked forward to doing anything that didn't involve sitting up late and drawing for hours and hours. His hands were already starting to hurt very badly. Any more of this, and he was certain they'd drop off.

Oh well, but he wasn't done yet, and Naruto sighed. He looked out of the window: everything was cast in gloomy darkness, and few people were probably up at this ungodly hour.

A jet of light came from the torch flickering above him, and he rubbed his eyes. It was about four am in the morning, and he'd been working since midnight. He'd have started sooner, but things had gotten in the way -- Sakura had dropped by for a visit and they'd chatted till late.

Sakura, to his surprise, had been more enthusiastic about his work than he'd expected to, and she'd revealed herself to be something of an insider. A real fan, so to speak. He hadn't met one since he'd left college, really. Most people seemed to scoff at anything animanga related once they hit twenty-five. Naruto, however, knew that was only a façade because most of those said people probably read manga secretly, and kept a stash of them hidden in some remote corner of their apartments or houses. Naruto loved the fact that Sakura wasn't that tight-lipped about her likes and dislikes.

_Sakura really liked those manga. I'm surprised. I thought girls weren't into __mecha and shounen kind of stuff._

Naruto grinned at that, and the grin grew into a smirk as he thought more about the conversations they'd shared since that one particular day (Naruto tried to forget that he'd kissed her then). Ever since he'd invited her over, Sakura had been coming over regularly, in spite of his apartment being messy, small and his talents as a host being more than lamentable. He couldn't even make proper tea, but Sakura wasn't interested in tea.

They'd usually just talk about random things – it was amazing how laid-back and comfortable he felt around her. Naruto smiled, and fell further back into his chair, and, before he knew it, he was drowning in thoughts of Sakura on one of the conversations they'd had.

--

Sakura looked up at him with a puzzled expression, as she leafed through his work with poorly concealed excitement. She'd probably seen his work more than a dozen times now, but they'd never really talked about it.

He could see that her hands were trembling, and that she was chewing her underlip – a trait of hers that he found irresistibly cute and somewhat enticing. But Naruto tried his best to not think about what effect those images produced on his brain. He'd been evidently listening too much of Kakashi's talk. That man equated everything to lust, and it was strange because, looking at him, you'd never have expected Kakashi to be such a filthy, shameless pervert. Then again, appearances were misleading, as Naruto had found it to be in the case of Sakura. She kept him on his toes.

"I'm just surprised. I didn't think you'd go for this stuff," Naruto admitted, and had to chuckle when he thought how surprised some of his friends would be once he told them that he'd found "the perfect girl".

"Why? Is it wrong for girls to like mecha?" Sakura asked earnestly, and fixed him with a nearly accusatory glare. Naruto frowned slightly, and realised that he was going to have to explain himself.

"No, it's just that you'd usually expect them to be ... well, I don't know. Not like you."

Naruto didn't want to tell her that the girls he expected to like this kind of stuff were those manly or gangly women who looked more like gorilla than belonging to the fairer sex. Then again, this had to be Jiraiya's influence. He equated girls who liked comics as being unattractive tomboys. Idiot.

"I've always liked this stuff.

"Sorry, I'm just really surprised. In fact, I'm very positively surprised," Naruto threw in, and his shoulders sagged again in relief when he saw that Sakura grinned.

"Well, I'm rather surprised as well. Didn't expect you to be a mangaka. Though it explains a few things."

Naruto cleared his throat. He didn't want to be remembered of the Sai episode – that had been rather awkward and he'd done something unforgivable that evening. He could still taste her on his lips, but Naruto forced these thoughts out of his mind. Since Sakura hadn't mentioned the kiss since then, he was fine keeping his mouth shut about it as well.

"So far you've only shown me your standard work, but I'm curious about your serious stuff as well."

"Serious stuff? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, this time being the one was honestly puzzled. Some of his stories featured corruption, death and less than cheerful stuff. How wasn't that serious?

Sakura eyes widened with comprehension, and she explained: "I mean, usually each seinen manga features scantily-clad females and some fairly graphic sex scenes."

"I'm not so fond of this stuff," Naruto quickly said, and rubbed his hands. Man, this was awkward. "But I've drawn this stuff ... as you know sex sells, and I've got ...er, friends who're fond of all that, so I might have drawn something here or here or there."

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," Sakura said laughingly, and shook her head. "You're strangely uptight for a guy who called me "sugar" on our first meeting. And you certainly weren't that shy then."

"I told you that was only a joke," Naruto retorted, a little frustrated that she still kept on referring to that episode. That had happened – how long ago?.

"I know. But I wonder why you did it."

Naruto sighed loudly. "I don't know. You just seemed so angry then – so angry and I'd maybe wanted to lighten the mood a bit. Maybe, I also wanted to flirt."

Sakura's eyebrows rose at that. "Flirting? You call _that_ flirting?"

Oh well, Naruto figured that she was right to sound so incredulous. He'd always been crap with words, and flirting was no exception. But he hoped that Sakura didn't think he was bad at everything – that would have been more than deflating to his ego. But still, she was right.

"Yeah, it's an awesomely bad technique, right?" Naruto admitted sheepishly, and looked down on the floor. He couldn't believe what he was saying; he blamed it on sleeping too little and drinking too much coke.

Sleep-deprivation did odd things to people, and Naruto felt that he wasn't an exception.

"No comment," Sakura simply answered and went back to reading the manga she'd been leafing through. Naruto was glad for the silence, and returned to what he'd been doing before – reading his own work and seeing if there was anything he could make better. But from time to time, when Naruto felt that Sakura wasn't looking, he'd steal a glance at her – and feel himself heat up a bit. He wasn't supposed to do this, but then he couldn't stop.

---

Now, back in the present, Naruto slapped himself on his forehead. He'd actually talked about flirting then – he hoped that Sakura hadn't taken it as a cue that he was interested. Then again, he doubted that a woman like her would be interested in him, of all people. Not when there were better men around.

_She's a doctor, and ... I'm just ... there's nothing wrong with me damnit, but I bet she's got a boyfriend or fiancé._

"Argh," Naruto groaned out, and realised that he hadn't been doing else for the past ten minutes other than staring out into space. And thinking about a woman who was going to be his undoing. Indeed, she already was. Naruto had intended to do some work, but because of her, he'd been interrupted. Damn it.

However, just as he was about to resume drawing, Naruto noticed that his fingers hurt and that his eyes were sore. They were burning as well, and though Naruto rubbed his eyes, that only made matters worse. Besides, his head was pounding; it felt heavy and he heard buzzing noises, which told him all he needed to know.

_I'm dead tired. _

Well, maybe it was time to call it a day and really go to bed. Naruto stood up, flexed his aching arm muscles and switched the lights off. He walked sluggishly towards his bedroom, and plopped down on the bed without bothering to change his clothes. But then, it really didn't matter. There was no Tsunade around to chide him for doing so, and Naruto's last conscious thought was:

_That's the bliss of living alone. _

_... _

Sakura loved her job. Most of the time, it involved measuring patients' pulses or prescribing the medicine they required. The hours she spent at her clinic with its white-washed walls and smell of disinfectant weren't fruitless hours to her. Sakura couldn't have borne it if she'd taken on a job she didn't love. Therefore, she had studied medicine and became a doctor.

Yet there were also days which were less cheery and where Sakura did end up questioning herself how she'd ended up in that kind of position. Not that she ever regretted doing what she did; some days were just tougher, and when Sakura had signed up for the job, she knew in advance that being a doctor wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. Today was one of the less cheery days.

"I can't really help you there – I'm not a gynaecologist," Sakura said somewhat helplessly, not knowing what the girl had really come for. She knew that she was pregnant, and Sakura couldn't do anything else than say this. And, though it flattered her that this still so very young girl viewed her as a person whom she could trust, Sakura wished to be anywhere but here. This was a way too touchy topic, she thought while she listened to the girl speak.

"But I – I really don't want to have to abort this baby. My boyfriend tells me that he'll support me, and we'll get through this together."

Sakura tried to keep her own personal opinions out of this, but it was hard. She could feel her heart constrict because so many conflicting feelings were battling in her chest. In her eyes, this girl was being ridiculously immature. Sure, at her age, it was easy to believe that the boy would support her, but reality looked different. When she'd first thought about having sex, Sakura had immediately gone to the doctor and got herself prescribed on pills. There were some things that could botch up a girl's future faster than you could say "_what, the condom broke?_" and pregnancy was one of those things.

Real life wasn't like "Akkan Baby" and having a kid wasn't cute. Few teenage boys were strong enough to acknowledge that they had a responsibility to fulfil, in case they knocked up a girl.

Sasuke was different though, and Sakura would not have doubted that he'd have taken care of her, but he'd have probably viewed it as a "chore" -- and Sakura had never wanted to be anyone's pesky chore. So, she'd taken precautions as soon as she could. She still did. Sakura hadn't stopped taking the pill, even though her sex life was more than barren and dormant lately. But one never knew. A sip of alcohol, a random encounter – things could lead to sex more easily than one thought, and Sakura knew that she wasn't really a role model for virtue. Even if she'd never had a one-night stand before. Still, Sakura didn't like to take risks, and life was full of surprises, after all.

And that was why this girl's naivety shocked her more than anything. She could tell by the way the girl was looking at her that – no matter what she told that dimwit – it wouldn't change things. Sakura curled her hand to a fist before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I think it's your decision. I can't tell you what's right or wrong. And I won't judge you, though you do realise that you're heaping a lot of responsibility on your shoulders," Sakura said sternly and hoped that this girl – this silly, _poor _girl – understood the gist of her words.

"I know that," the young woman – was she really one? -- affirmed Sakura, and looked somewhat angry at the assumption that she wasn't mature enough to handle this in Sakura's eyes. "You know, just because I'm young doesn't make me stupid."

There was an unhidden "_don't fucking underestimate me_" tone in her voice. Sakura froze for a second; the tone – this confident, nearly aggressive tone – reminded her of someone else, and it was strange because it absolutely had nothing to do with pregnancy.

_Naruto – he was just as defensive after he'd kissed me. He had the same aura in him. _

There hadn't been anything else left to say after that. Sakura had only dropped a few words on being careful and consulting another doctor's advice; she given her the necessary leaflets and jotted down a few addresses that she knew would be helpful.

Sakura watched the girl walk out of the door, and hoped that she would continue to be as resolute in the future. But a part of Sakura's common sense told her that it wouldn't be the case, but maybe that was her own cynical self talking.

Oh well. It was none of her business. But what was very well her business was the fact that – as of late – she couldn't get Naruto out of her mind.

...

It was late in the evening when Sakura was on the way home. It wasn't dark out; the sun was still shining – though not quite as forcefully as it had before – on the world, and it was still pleasantly warm. Sakura liked it, and it was with a tinge of regret that she thought of this being August. Soon, the leaves on the trees would turn golden-brown until, when they were ripe with decay, they'd flutter down to the floor and be subject to a whole torrent of abuse – rain, wind and being trodden by unheeding pedestrians. And then when all that was over, they'd be gobbled up by decomposers and what not.

_It's sad how nothing really lasts. _

Sakura shook her head at that thought. Was she going crazy now? Then again, she'd always had some sort of odd fascination for seasons. Nature was beautiful, and Sakura saw no harm in delighting in something that was aesthetically pleasing. Hell, it was better than thinking about men. She'd burnt her finger too often and had tried not to think of the other sex anymore. Of course, it goes without saying, that she'd failed epically (because, no matter how hard Sakura denied it, she was a hot-blooded woman and like every she was prone to reduce everything to sex). Also, being human, she couldn't stop longing for the company of others. But Sakura didn't pause to think about that anymore, and grumbling about her own foolishness, walked those few remaining steps to her door. Of course, once she tried to open her door, the lock – once again – turned her life topsy-turvy. Or better said, the lock was giving her problems again.

Somehow, Sakura was beginning to think that she really was a special kind of loser.

...

Naruto was torn out of sleep by a few – very loud – stomping sounds, and an even louder chain of curses. He sat up in bed and groaned. And then briefly looked at the clock – it was rather late.

_Wow, I've slept till six pm. That's quite a feat. _

The sound of cursing and thumping continued. Naruto smiled. Sakura had come back, and this was the time to come out and help, he guessed. He quickly threw a sweater on, rinsed his mouth with water and tried to make his look hair presentable. It was good that he'd taken a bath right before he'd started drawing. When he walked out the hall to meet Sakura, she immediately turned to greet him, and Naruto returned the favour.

"You can't open the door again?"

"I know, it's the lock – I should really get a new one," Sakura said, turning a bit red that she hadn't really thought of fixing it yet. This was perhaps the third time she'd alerted Naruto's attention like this. That stupid lock.

_But maybe, it's also a way to get him to talk to me. _

Sakura ignored her conscience, and watched how Naruto just smiled and shook his head. "

Then, another thought formed in her mind. Maybe, it was stupid, but Sakura figured it was a worth a try. She was kind of bored, anyway. Perhaps, Ino was right about her needing more spice in her life. So why not?

"Naruto, if you like, you could come drop in – I figure you've invited me so often that you should also get to see how I life like," Sakura said quickly, and hoped she wasn't stumbling over any words. She'd avoiding saying "Would you mind coming inside?" because it sounded too formal, and the brief "come inside, please" -- well, that just reminded her too much of a cheap porn line. And it proved that she was a shameless pervert for thinking about sex in such a perfectly innocent context.

_It's not like I'm inviting him over to sleep with me_, she thought, and gritted her teeth. There, her imagination had done it again. And she wasn't even attracted to the guy – or was she? Sakura thought back of when she'd first met him. Back then, back then --

_You thought he was quite hot. Hell, you were practically drooling on the spot before he opened his mouth. _

Meanwhile, Naruto's mouth dropped in shock at what Sakura had just said – had she really just done what he'd thought she'd done?

_She's inviting me over,_ it ran through his head. Sakura Haruno was actually inviting him over, and though it wasn't a great deal, Naruto felt like – he wasn't going to finish that sentence. He couldn't be that stupid. Being invited over by (gorgeous and intelligent) woman wasn't a reason to jump for joy. Besides, judging how haggard his face probably looked and wrinkled his clothes were, Naruto doubted that he was eye-candy. Not that women had ever thrown themselves at his feet. So, Naruto told himself that it was nothing to get excited for.

_She's said herself that she's just returning the favour._

"Naruto, so -" Sakura said, beginning to get impatient. This guy was rather annoying. He was spacing out on her, and that made her nervous as well.

_Please say yes, damnit, _Sakura prayed in her head.

'Should I say yes?' Naruto thought with panic, and took a deep breath. But fuck, he was nervous: his hands were shaking already and he could already feel himself turn oddly giddy. And he was excited, in spite of how vehemently he was trying to calm himself down.

Let's get over with it, he thought and finally responded: "Yes, sure. Why not?"

Sakura smiled, and held the door open -- Naruto marched in. Sakura closed the door with a bang, and felt that taking the initiative felt good ever now and then.

...

Sakura's apartment, Naruto noticed was quite fancy. She had a nice, spacious living-room with the kitchen somewhat incorporated into it. He wasn't sure how to describe it really and figured that it didn't matter. Besides, this wasn't the most striking thing about the apartment.

"Wow, you're really kind of messier than I'd expected," Naruto announced after he'd finished his inspection on Sakura's apartment. And boy, he pondered, that woman was really messy – she reversed the image of the cleanly and anal-retentive image he'd always harboured towards the female sex. Not that he thought all women were clean. He just hadn't thought it possible that a girl could be as sloppy and messy as a guy. Then again, Sasuke, who was really anal about cleanliness, also broke quite a few rules.

So, it wasn't really such a big deal, and Naruto figured that thinking out of the box was perhaps the better option, after all.

"Ah, I know. I don't really bother to clean up, unless Ma comes over or – you know, someone important shows up," Sakura said in reply, and sauntered towards the kitchen. She only stopped when she reached the fridge. When she reached her destination, she opened it and grabbed a bottle of mineral water – she loved ice-cold drinks.

Naruto felt kind of insulted for a bit. "So, I'm not that important, eh?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No, what I meant was that you're not the sort of guy it's necessary to impress with that kind of crap – you know, the housewife image."

The housewife image? Naruto wasn't quite sure what that entailed. Well, he got the gist of it, but then he also felt like hearing Sakura's input on it. "Please do go on."

Sakura's eyes twinkled with excitement as she continued her tirade. It felt nice to say this – Ino had stopped listening years ago, and other people weren't even open to that kind of talk.

"No matter how emancipated men claim to be, they always expect a woman to do the house-cleaning and cooking. It's bullshit to think that a man will think differently," Sakura said in a tone that was full of conviction, and it was true. Hell, all of the guys she'd dated and brought home had always expected her to be one to do the dishes after they'd eaten their fill. Not one of them had offered a hand, and had it cost Sakura quite a bit of goodwill not to smash the said dishes on their heads.

_Typical, really. They just want blowjobs and someone to iron their shirts. _

Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, and coughed. He suddenly felt like a fish out of water. This hadn't really been the conversation he'd been looking forward to.

"Er, don't you think you're a being a bit far-fetched here?" he suggested carefully, and leaned against the washbasin. He hoped Sakura wasn't going to kill him for saying that.

Sakura wheeled at him. "Far-fetched? God, you have-"

He knew what she was going to say. It made Naruto roll his eyes. Probably something like how all men were lazy and unwilling to help in the household. Tsunade had whined about that more than often enough.

"Sakura, I might not be the smartest guy out there, but ... not all men are like that. Some are, definitely, but I also know guys who don't want a brainless Chi at home."

"Chi?" Sakura asked, not really understand what he meant by that. The name seemed kind of familiar, but in her over-excitable anger, Sakura's memory was kind of hazy.

"Oh that one character from Chobits. The Persocom who only lives for Hideki, the main character's sake, and is as clingy and helpless as they come."

"God," Sakura said, remembering what Naruto was talking about. She couldn't believe that some men called that character the 'perfect woman'. She was even worse than Belldandy.

"I know what you mean," Naruto said, and shook his head. "I'm a guy, but I don't agree with that sort of thing, either. I like my girls a bit more -"

"Go on," Sakura prodded, and walked over to where Naruto was. She didn't know why she was that interested. Then again, Naruto had never mentioned anything about his preferences before. He'd only said that he wasn't gay.

"Independent, funny and feisty, I guess. Then again, I've mostly only known women who were like that," Naruto said somewhat sheepishly.

"Do you mean this Tsunade women? Is she your ex-girlfriend or something?"

Naruto's eyes widened at that, and he turned pale. Then, without warning, he broke out into loud laughter, and—

"Gosh, you're incredible," he managed between laughs," first you say, I'm guy and then you think Tsunade is my ... I can't take this."

Sakura tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, but grinned a bit herself.

"Well who is she?"

"Tsunade's my guardian. I grew up with her and Jiraiya – he's her husband."

Grew up? Sakura didn't comprehend at once, but then it dawned upon her. "You're a -"

"Orphan, yes. My parents died a few months after my birth. It was a car accident. The scars – you see," Naruto said, and briefly paused to point at the whisper-like scars on his cheeks," are the result of the accident. I somewhat survived by ... luck or something like that."

Sakura gasped, and froze – she'd never thought that possible. Maybe, that was the reason he didn't talk about himself.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto chuckled. "What for? It's not like you had anything to do with it."

Sakura felt like stomping on his foot, for being such an insensitive twit.

"I think you must have felt awful – all those years."

Naruto fell silent for a moment, and frowned. He scratched his head, and the swallowed audibly. He had to be honest with her.

"The truth is that ... I'm not really that traumatised by the event because I was too young. Sakura, I don't know how to say this without sounding horrible, but ... it's hard to mourn something you never had. Or better said, it's hard to mourn something you don't remember."

Naruto didn't say anything for a minute, and remembered how he'd been as a child. Sometimes, he'd taken that photograph of his deceased parents into his hands and looked at it – for a long, long time. But it hadn't provoked him to cry or throw tantrums.

"Sure, I'm upset at times. I'd like to know what it feels like to have parents of one's own, but then I do have parents – people who care for me," Naruto added as an afterthought.

Sakura smiled sadly, and walked to the living room. Naruto followed her, a bit confused by her silence. He hoped he hadn't said anything wrong, but this was how he felt. He couldn't really change that. They both sat down on the couch, and a somewhat awkward silence reigned over the room for a while.

"You know – Naruto, it's kind of hard to say," Sakura started, and then turned her face away from his. She was biting the inside of her cheek.

"What?"

"My father died when I was twelve. I – when he died, things kind of went to hell for me."

"I – I don't really know what to say, Sakura. I'm sorry. Maybe, I shoudn't have-" Naruto said, and felt like hitting himself on the head. He'd done again: his fantastic sense of tact had made Sakura upset. And this time, it wasn't something they could easily gloss over with.

"No, it's not your fault. I was just thinking how awful it was to lose him so suddenly," Sakura interrupted and looked down at her hands. "My father – he was someone I'd looked up to so much, and I'd never expected for him ... to be just gone, one day. The day he died – it was such a normal day. He even brought me to school and told me he'd take me out for pizza in the evening. But – of course, he didn't..."

And that it happened. Sakura had dug so deep in the past that all those long buried memories came crashing back to her: they hit her like a cannon-ball, and Sakura started to tremble. At first it was only her hands, but the trembling soon took control over her entire body. Before Sakura knew it, she was sobbing, but she couldn't help it. She could still see her father standing before her, just like he'd been on that day. He was smiling tenderly, and patting her on her head. And

"Sakura," Naruto exclaimed, a bit terrified. She was crying, damnit. He didn't know what the hell he was supposed --

_Oh shut up. You know, man. Just do it. Comfort her. _

Sakura stiffened when she felt strong arms wrap themselves around her shoulders. She was about to protest, but then Naruto had already pulled her towards him.

"I'm sorry. So sorry. Don't cry anymore," he whispered into her ear, and rubbed her back soothingly. Sakura should have pushed him away, but he was so – tender. So very tender. And Sakura realised – not with a pang, but with the utmost calmness – that she wished to remain just like this for a little longer.

...

**TBC**


	6. And It Only Gets Worse

**A/N: **

I won't lie. I really like this chapter, but the writing is so-so. I don't know – I don't write the way I used to?

There's no excuse for no updates either, apart from RL being a bitch and me just losing interest in Naruto. I tried dabbling in other fandoms, but it's ... er fail and suckage – as evidenced by the appreciation these fics have not garnered XDDDD.

The chapter is something on the short side, but I thought it was fitting to keep it that way. And yes, unfortunately, it's unbe'td. But I did go through it and will go through it again. Yet, don't hesitate to contact me if you catch something glaring.

Please review? I don't care what you say, as long as it's something.

As a warning for this chapter, there are some references to Hetalia. Rather a lot. Pleasedon'tkillmeforthose.

--

Hetalia was the silliest crack she'd started watching lately. Germany was currently in the act of leaning down, and giving a sobbing Italy a kiss on his cheek – and all that, just because Italy was too short to wrap his arms around Germany's neck. Germany was so kind.

_Ho-how positively cute! _

Sakura squealed, folding her hands as if in a prayer. But she wasn't really praying. It was more like fantasising over what else Germany would and could do for cute, sweet Italy (who needed and deserved love; he was the cutest thing ever!).

_And cute things deserve to be hugged and loved. _

And no, she wasn't really ashamed. Well, mostly. Because, in truth, she'd intended to do a bit of cleaning up. Yet, instead, after coming back home, she'd plopped down on the sofa instead, watched a bit of telly and then, pulling out her laptop, had decided to celebrate her life by watching Hetalia. Online. It wasn't available to the public otherwise. _Damn people taking things too seriously,_ she thought.

Hetalia made her smile, even if she actually had better things to do. But Italy was so cute! It warmed her heart.

_Great_, Sakura thought, _here I'm twenty-seven and fangirling over nations being gay for each other._ Well, not only fangirling: she was obsessing over it, and had festered her passion even more by actually buying doujinshi. Not that Hetalia had been the first anime that she'd liked for (Foe!) Ho Yay. There had been other things she'd liked before – like Fake and God yes, Gravitation.

The only savoury thing about Gravitation had been the music, though. And the seiyuu.

Yes, she liked seinen. But, the more perverted side of her also indulged in stuff like Hetalia from time to time (and she also liked the occasional pairing in some of the seinen stuff she watched. Not that she'd ever tell anyone, thank you very much). Besides, the couples she liked in seinen tended to end rather badly.

_Let's see, in Basilisk, the main couple dies. In Vagabond, the hero is always on the run and the less said about Berserk, the better. _

Therefore, she nursed her disappointment (or wounded heart, rather) by watching cutesy things – like Hetalia.

Unfortunately, it had – metaphorically speaking – invaded her vital regions, which was bad.

If Naruto had known how much she liked that manga (and anime), she was pretty sure he'd have proclaimed her clinically insane. Or crazy. Whatever. Technicalities didn't matter now.

_Maybe, he already thinks I am. Crazy, that is. _

He'd not been so very happy when she'd confronted him about being gay with Sai. And saying that he'd not been happy was putting it rather mildly.

_Naruto looked positively mortified. As if I'd suggested that he was into twelve-year-old girls. Which, I think, is much, much worse than ... there's nothing bad about being gay. But being a paedophile? Now, that's umm, yes bad. _

Sakura had met the Sai guy since then. He was pretty weird (he was a penis-obsessed, unemotional freak whom she'd pretty much slapped when he'd referred to her as an old hag, but that was beside the point).

_I just think that hitting him might have taught him better manners. Hmm, he did have a nice body though. _

Sakura sighed. She was at it again. Thinking too much about looks.

Then again, it was better than smoking. Or drinking. Or, Sakura confessed somewhat abashedly, replaying certain scenes in her head over and over again. Lately, she'd been doing that a lot. She'd been doing a lot of odd things, like spacing out in the middle of inspecting her patients. Of course, she snapped back to reality quickly enough. Yet, it was still annoying – very, very annoying, in fact.

_I do have a reputation to maintain. _

Strong arms were wrapped around her gingerly, and she felt soothed. The tears, which she'd kept hidden for too long were pouring out of her like -

Sakura slapped herself on the forehead. Again. She'd done it again. And in such a cheap way.

_It just doesn't get any sappier, does it? _

Sakura wasn't a writer. Also, it certainly hadn't been anything like that.

They hadn't done anything but talk after that. Sakura had told Naruto more about her father, and Naruto had shared a few tales about his childhood. They'd been funny episodes.

And yet, Sakura felt Naruto was holding back on her. A part of him seemed to be distant. No matter how hard she tried, she didn't seem able to catch up to that shadow.

_He didn't tell me anything personal. And it's – geh, stop it! Angst is bad, Sakura. Snap out of it!_

Sakura slapped herself on the forehead and went back to doing what she'd done before – watching Hetalia on her laptop. She wasn't going to sink this low yet. No, Sakura gritted her teeth, she'd be as proud and strong.

_Then again, I just wish – he'd do it again. Share more things with me. Tell me what he's feeling like. _

Sakura banished the thought from her head again, though. When Germany and North Italy appeared on the screen again, the turbulent string of thoughts that had been so focused on Naruto turned to mush. Her usually so rational mind abandoned any notions of propriety, and went back to fangirling.

What she didn't know was that Naruto Uzumaki was currently watching the same thing (and enjoying it as much as she was, to boot). Only that he wasn't squealing over Germany and Italy (and if he did, he would have never confessed it outright. Real men did not squeal or fangirl. Or ... watch Hetalia, he guessed).

...

Ino was developing a permanent headache. Not only was her husband still asleep at three in the afternoon, but Sakura – her _supposed_ best friend – was grating terribly on her nerves. And the worst thing about the whole ordeal was that she just didn't show any sign of stopping. In fact, the more Sakura knew Naruto, the more she happened to talk about him.

"What should I do?" she whined, her voice sounding so much like a disgruntled twelve-year-old that Ino rolled her eyes. And she was lying on her soft couch, leaving no choice for Ino – the actual owner of that couch – but to sit on that stupid hard chair. Really, that woman had no manners. "God Ino, you're a sweetheart for listening to me whine."

Too bad Ino couldn't stand it anymore. Too bad she was developing ulcers just from hearing Sakura ask her what to do about Naruto.

Honestly, dammit – was this so hard to figure out on your own?

"Why don't you just ask him out then?" Ino suggested, hoping that Sakura would just finally do it. And give her some freaking rest. She was her best friend, but even best friends deserved a time-out. Or she'd be a "sweetheart" no more.

"Why should I?" Sakura pointed out. "I don't even like him that way."

Ino threw her hands up in the air. She'd have stamped her foot on the ground, but such childish displays were wholly inappropriate. She was a lady, not a rejected harlot. "I give up."

Why couldn't Sakura realise it? She was an intelligent girl. Then again, Ino knew that her friend was also stubborn. She would never admit to anything – least of all any weakness. Yet, Ino could really see that Sakura liked Naruto. Perhaps, more than she'd ever liked any guy before. Indeed, had Ino been younger, she would have unabashedly confronted Sakura with the following words:

_You're just head over heels. You just won't say you're in love. _

Sakura, who was comfortably settled on the couch and inspecting her hands, threw a disdainful look at her friend. "I don't see what you're so mad about."

"I just wish you'd finally admit that you like him. He makes your knees buckle."

Sakura snorted.

_The only time he made my knees buckle was that time he was parading around as a macho. Then again, it was because I was a bit scared of him. Who likes to be chatted up just like that? Not me, no sir. _

"No. He does not. And while I like him, it's more in a friends way," Sakura admitted, hoping to bury any notions of a burgeoning romance between her and Naruto.

Ino paused. She just gaped at Sakura. Had Sakura just admitted that she liked a guy? Even if wasn't romantic? Ino shook her head – oh, Sakura belonged to the type that thought Denial was a river in Egypt. Really. She wish she could inject some reason into Sakura. But that would never do: Sakura had to figure this one out on her own. "Oh Sakura..."

"What?" Sakura demanded, confused by Ino's patronising manner. Why was she shaking her head that much?

"You've just admitted you like a guy. I mean, I don't think I've heard you insult men for a while, now that I think about it." And Ino really hadn't. And for that alone, she already liked that Naruto guy.

Sakura wondered about that. She really hadn't been thinking about other men for a while. Least of all how evil and manipulative they were. This was strange. Admittedly, she'd had little reason to rant about men lately. Even the thought of Neji didn't bother her that much anymore. From what she'd heard, he was on the verge of getting married. His cousin Hinata, a very shy and fidgety type of girl, had told her about it when they'd met at the supermarket. It had surprised Sakura.

However, what had surprised Sakura more about it was that hadn't shocked her to the core. That, even if they'd been together, the knowledge that he was getting married hadn't – and didn't - hurt her in the least.

_I guess it's good he found someone who suits him. I just wasn't what he wanted. Nor was he what I wanted. I guess what I want is - _

Sakura was snapped out of her reverie when she heard Ino speak.

"You know, bring him along next time." Ino prayed this would work. She had to take action. Maybe this would work?

Unfortunately, Sakura was more confused than anything: "Eh?"

Ino sighed, and shook her head again. Really, Sakura was difficult. "I'm curious about this Naruto Uzumaki. Maybe, he'll get Shikamaru to cook out his own volition for once."

Ino's expression grew delighted at the thought. Finally, she would observe her husband in action. Finally, she thought – her excitement growing more and more enthusiastic – she'd see him being something other than the grumpy darling he usually was. Oh, the thought of it – him, cooking without her having to nag him – was just too deliciously delightful.

Besides, she felt that he interacted too little with other people. Not that he was a loner. He did have his friends, but she felt that it was high time her husband opened up a bit. Naruto was an artist. Weren't those inspiring people?

Sakura giggled, watching her best friend's expression with ardent fascination. Maybe, Naruto would help Shikamaru be less lazy. But she needed to bring her friend back to reality. Harbouring too much hope towards one thing never led to happiness. Besides, she just knew her friend's husband; he was ... well, he was a tough case. "Shikamaru? Cooking willingly? I don't think so."

Ino stuck her tongue, and sighed. Damn it. "It's too good to be true, right?"

Sakura only nodded. Men were, after all, difficult and – to use Shikamaru's own catchphrase – troublesome creatures. That would never change.

...

Naruto crossed Sakura's path on the outer hall – like he usually did.

"Hey," he muttered and frowned – the bags were heavy and filled with things he'd never eat, but that he'd bought because they had been cheap. No, it didn't make sense. _Then again, life is made up of oxymorons_, he thought peevishly, already regretting that he'd bought too much cake and too little toilet paper.

_Sometimes, Tsunade is right about me being a little impractical. And damn, money wasted again. _

Sakura saw how irritated Naruto was. She hoped it wouldn't ruin her plans – she had been looking forward to meeting him all day. "Hey back at you! Hmm, want to come over?"

Naruto smiled. "Let me put those things in the fridge first. But yes, I do want to come over. You didn't even have to ask."

...

Naruto stepped into the apartment, smiling when he realised how messy it was again. "You really don't bother to clean up, do you?"

And it really wasn't clean. Empty coke cans littered Sakura's expensive glass table, and a quick glance at the sink in the kitchen confirmed Naruto's worst suspicions: Sakura hadn't bothered to wash her dishes yet. Then again, he hadn't bothered to do that either, yet. And he'd had enough time for that.

_Why is he staring at my apartment like that? It's unnerving. Geez. _

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It's not like your my Ma or something. Nor are you the Pope, so-"

Sakura just waved her hand in a dismissive manner, not so subtly making him understand that she really wasn't going to create a huge fuss over him. Not that he was offended. Naruto was smart enough to know that Sakura liked him – liked him enough to not have to pretend around him.

_She's really just Sakura with me. _

"I'm glad you value my company so much, Sakura. It's really, really flattering."

Sakura gently nudged his elbow. "You should view it as a compliment. At least, you get to know the real me."

_God knows, how few men really knew the real me. I always had to put up a façade. _

"Hmm..." Naruto simply stated, rubbing his chin. He wasn't too sure what Sakura was driving at. What was it with women and them being vague? Couldn't they just be straightforward? Then again, Naruto had to admit that he was a bit of a dimwit when it came to subtly delivered messages.

"I doubt that," he offered lamely. Not that he did. _But damn it, I don't know what else to say_, he thought.

Sakura grinned."No really. You know the real me – uncensored."

Naruto's eyebrows rose at that. He wasn't sure whether Sakura fully understood what she'd just been babbling about. Yes, he knew it was stupid, but he couldn't help himself. Various images of an "uncensored" Sakura flitted through his mind. He could imagine her – naked, smiling at him coquettishly. No, it absolutely didn't fit Sakura, but then Naruto believed he had the right to indulge in a little daydream every now and then.

_It's human nature to be perverted. _

Naruto grinned smugly. "I'm not sure I'm really ready for that level in our relationship yet. I'm not a manwhore, really."

"I wasn't saying this in the X-rated way, idiot," Sakura then shoot back, shaking her head. "It's typical of men to immediately think in perverted ways."

"Oh well, then don't tease me like that," Naruto confessed. Even if he knew she hadn't meant it intentionally. But, he couldn't help it.

_I'm not made out of stone. _

Sakura threw a pillow at Naruto. Really. He was an idiot at times. "I don't tease – at least not when it comes to the really important matters."

"I know you don't," Naruto then said, suddenly turning serious.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Meaning?"

"I think you're one of the most honest women I've ever met."

_What did I just say? This sound like I'm complimenting her. It's nearly like a love confession! _

There was a slightly uncomfortable silence after that. Naruto coughed and turned to inspect his socks, which suddenly struck him as being incredibly noteworthy of observation. He wiggled his toes. Then, he sighed loudly, hating himself for being so nervous yet again. It didn't happen as often anymore. Naruto had grown used to Sakura's antics, including her sharp tongue and tendency to make him surprised. In fact, he'd come to view her – Naruto nearly cursed at that.

_... I've come to view her as something constant in my life. I really, really -_

He couldn't finish that thought. He liked her. She made him feel confident. He was comfortable around her. _And yet, there are moments when I'm so helpless, _he admitted.

Sakura, meanwhile, chewed her lip thoughtfully. No guy had ever said something like this about her.

_They said I was pretty, smart and sexy. But honest? No. _

"I think you're one of the nicest guys I've ever met. Even if you make the wrong first impressions on people with your "hey sugar," Sakura then said, breaking the silence. And she meant it. Every word of it.

Naruto groaned. "Are you never going to stop teasing me about that?"

Sakura shook her head. Then, she grinned devilishly, throwing another pillow at Naruto. He threw one back at her, and they both fell to laughing. Sakura shook her head again, stuck out her tongue and then settled deeper back against the couch. "No. Our first meeting was just that epic."

"I know," Naruto admitted.

He smiled – a large smile that would have put most people to shame. Sakura was amazed how innocent Naruto seemed when he smiled. For a moment, Sakura nearly lost herself in thoughts of what he must have been like a boy.

_I imagine he was very naughty. A trickster, probably. He must have been the cutest thing ever! _

She was pretty certain that, had they met as kids, she would hated him. At first. Later on, Sakura was convinced that he would have grown on her. Just like he'd grown on her now. Suddenly, she recalled Ino's words. Perhaps, bringing him over would not be such a bad idea. Hell, rubbing her hands excitedly, Sakura thought that it would be a great idea! It would get Ino to shut up. She'd realise that they were nothing but friends.

_Even if he does my make heart bit a bit faster at times. _

"Naruto... say are you free tomorrow?"

"Why?" Naruto asked, curious as to what Sakura had in mind. He knew it was nothing romantic. Then, it wasn't like he was expecting anything romantic. In fact, Naruto thought frowning, wasn't it the guy's role to be romant-

_There we go with stereotypical gender roles again. I'm trying to be an emancipated, modern-thinking man here! And what am I thinking? _

Naruto restrained himself from cursing out loud. The engines in his head were turning too quickly. He felt it begin to throb. If it didn't stop soon, he'd go mad.

"Ino – I told you about her ... well, she's asked me to bring you over. You really don't have to go, but I'd like if you did."

_Please do come,_ Sakura thought feverishly. Maybe, it was stupid; however, she really did want Naruto to accept the invitation. Somehow, he'd become so much a part of her life that Sakura felt comfortable enough to have Ino meet him. She hadn't ever brought Neji along.

_Then again, I don't think Ino or Shikamaru would have liked him. _

"Of course. Gladly."

Sakura squealed, rose from her sitting place and – in a matter of seconds – embraced Naruto. Or rather, she was crushing him with her body, pining him further onto the soft couch with her weight. Naruto turned red in a matter of seconds.

"Hey! No need to jump my bones for that!" Naruto yelled, even though he was far from being angry. No, he was not angry. Rather, excited. But Naruto didn't ponder too much over that, and closed his eyes. As he closed them, he perceived a few things – Sakura smelled like strawberry. At least her hair did. He briefly wondered how soft her hair was. He didn't think he'd ever touched it before.

Sakura paused. Then, she turned promptly red. Up till now, she'd not really thought about the position she and Naruto were currently in.

_I'm sitting on his lap. My legs are on either side him. Oh God. My breasts her squashed over his – no, let's not go there. _

Sakura jumped off his lap immediately.

"I'm sorry. Got a bit over-excited. It's all the coffee. It makes my hyper," Sakura rambled, hoping that Naruto would not make this any more awkward than it already was by dropping in some lewd comment. Didn't men always do that? But Sakura hoped – no, prayed – he wouldn't.

_Because then I'd have to slap him again, and it would all go downhill from there. _

Naruto coughed, ignoring the disappointment he had felt when Sakura jumped off his lap. Somehow, it had felt rather good. Very, very good in fact. Even if it was wrong. They were not lovers. But he couldn't help thinking that he really wished Sakura had stayed in that position for just a little longer.

_Damn it. Get a grip on yourself, Naruto. _

He shifted and looked down at his fingernails. He'd have chewed on them, but his throat felt so dry that he couldn't even move his mouth. Or something like that. Naruto had never been good at explaining why he couldn't – or rather, failed at – doing specific actions at a given time.

But he had to talk, had to regain speech somehow, even if it hurt him physically. So, he spoke: "It doesn't matter, Sakura. Don't apologise."

Neither of them knew that they were currently thinking the same thing:

_Calm down. We're only friends. Yes, only friends. _

--

**TBC **


	7. Comedy of Errors

**Author's Notes:**

I'm sorry. Writing this chapter – believe it or not – took a few months because I'm critical and sometimes, feel like not writing at all. I'm just having a bit of a rough time with my muse these days. I hope this chapter is entertaining, in spite of flaws and hot smut still NOT taking place in this chapter XD (but then, if that's what you're looking for, then you're reading the wrong author, the wrong fic and ... well, the wrong author again).

Anyhow, this was – lovingly and very nicely – bet'd by **Dooki-chan. **Some goofs might remain because I think, after writing it for so long, I think I've been rendered blind to the errors ;_; (I added new parts as well!). I also got excited and um, I'm taking a look at this every now and then.

And one more thing: the support this fic is receiving is astounding, so much that I feel totally, totally undeserving, but t-thank you!

--

There were several things that Sakura had to do before she formally introduced Naruto to her best friends. They – she and Naruto, that was (_and just because she collectively referred to her and Naruto by using a pronoun didn't mean anything, damnit!_) - were on their way to Ino's apartment, passing by rows and rows of trees. The trees, apart from being green-leaved and of – for tree standards – medium height, weren't remarkable in any way.

Sakura guessed that there were others things as well, like houses and people, but she didn't really pay attention to them. As it was, Sakura was far more interested in Naruto. And yes, that was rather pathetic. Besides, describing a rather insignificant setting wasn't her forte. _And_ she detested reading most classical novels because they just paid too attention much on just that.

Furthermore, even if she wasn't willing to admit it out loud – and she wouldn't have done so for any money in the world, she really was too engrossed with having Naruto by her side. Dumb, but that was the way her mind worked right now.

_And he's really here with me. I just hope it'll stay like that. Good God, why am I being so – for lack of better word – cheesy lately? _

It had to be all those love comedies she'd watched as a thirteen-year-old. They, no offence intended, tended to warp your brain with unrealistic notions. Sakura had quickly realised this after she'd received a first kiss. What those films had described as a life-altering, beautiful experience, Sakura had experienced quite differently.

_It was wet. And didn't send tingles don't my spine at all. Nor did my life change dramatically. _

"Number one: Ino is crazy," she said somewhat testily, as memories of Ino's attest insanity flooded her brain.

"The good kind of crazy or the bad kind of crazy?"

Sakura paused, utterly paused. Expressions like "facepalm" and "sweatdrop" ran through her brain, but then she realised that such terminology was really most unfit for this kind of situation. "There are different types of crazy?"

"Well, there's the good kind – you know, just a little batty but in a fine, exciting way. You know, people who come up with those crazy plans that turn out to be fun. Like I used to have this friend in elementary school who taught that eating bugs-"

Sakura wisely stepped onto Naruto's toe, earning a loud _ouch _and _what the fuck do you think you're doi... _from her very much affronted companion.

"Oh Naruto, get a grip on yourself – I just stepped on your toe."

"But it hurts!" Naruto wailed in a very unmanly fashion, and kept hopping about on one foot, looking very much like an over-excited chimpanzee. Or something like that.

_Gosh_, Sakura thought, _men are so useless_. And she further maintained that men were a) really wimps when it came to pain and b) had the social skills of apes. Only that apes had the excuse of being cute. Most men, especially those unshaved jerks who thought that the "weaker's sex" only saving graces were boobs and ass, were rarely anything but cute. Revolting was the more fitting word.

Naruto, himself, just concluded that he'd maybe lowered his guard a bit too early.

_Should have figured she wasn't going to appreciate the tale of Tetsuda and his habit of eating spiders... really – women. So very humourless. _

"I don't want to hear that! But Ino is the good kind of crazy."

_Apart from the time where she thought that getting drunk at the school festival was a good idea. _

But that wasn't something she was going to share with Naruto. The one time she'd sung to Madonna's "Like A Virgin" in front of her classmates, not to mention the entire school staff, wasn't something he needed to know. In all due respect to herself, Sakura had been eighteen back then. Everyone did crazy things at that age. Eighteen was a formidable age, after all and – to give credit to that age-old saying – you were only young once. Sakura had done a lot of dumb things in her youth. In fact, the "singing along to Madonna, dressed in your bikini top and a flimsy mini-skirt" had been one of her less harmful mistakes (even if she'd not been able to face the rest of her classmates for about a month without turning red).

_And I don't regret a moment of it. In fact, I'd do it all over again. _

Sakura wondered if Naruto, who definitely had to have skeletons in the closets, felt the same way.

...

Shikamaru was a really happy man. At the age of twenty-seven, he'd accomplished things in life that most men could only be envious of: he'd managed to combine his pastime with his job.

And he'd married his first and only love _(_well, there'd been that crush he'd had on Temari when he'd been thirteen, but somehow it had never come to fruition. Maybe, he'd been a bit too terrified of her – what had it been? - fan... yes, fan which she used to whip the leaving daylights out of unsuspecting men).

"Shika!" his wife – the ever-loving and graceful creature – yelled into his ears, and when he didn't budge, kicked (not so lightly, unfortunately). Shikamaru, roused to motion by that gentle caress, sat up in bed. He had to close his eyes for a bit as his surroundings were blurry. Ino just didn't understand that awakening like this was terrible. He felt like being on a ship. Everything around him was spinning, and it wasn't nice at all. No one likes seeing his wife with two heads.

Ino, however, didn't have any more patience and – not caring a whit for decency – screeched this time like a harlot gone wild:"Get up!"

"It's only twelve," Shikamaru responded idly, and scratched his head, wondering what all this hubbub was about. He didn't recall anything special about today, other than that it was troublesome to be torn out of a good day's rest. He thought, all things considered, that he rather deserved it. But then, women were annoying creatures. Ino was a woman, thus she was an annoying creature. Only that he loved her for it. Because, even if she was she was annoying, Shikamaru had to say that she was his annoying creature. It didn't make a lot of sense, but then has love ever abided by the rules of logic?

"_Only twelve?_" Ino responded, looking fairly dumb-struck, then Shikamaru saw that she looked mildly regretful. So, she had forgotten that he was a hard-working detective.

"Yes, and you need to consider that I was awake all night, working on that one case..." Shikamaru reminded his wife, thinking that she'd take a hint and maybe not yell so loudly. He did have a headache, and all her screaming didn't make it better. She was lovely creature for the most part, but sometimes a tad bit too vocal. Though, there were times when his male ego appreciated her being – yes – so very vocal.

"Oh, poor you!" Ino snapped, folding her arms in front of her chest as she continued her rant," I let you sleep all the time! And why do you always have to work at night? Wouldn't it be better-"

"It just works better for me at night," Shikamaru said, and got up. He was resigned to his fate, and would do his wife's bidding. After all, men were only slaves who served to perform the odious that women felt too dainty to do.

Only that was clearly rubbish, Shikamaru realised, as he pulled himself on his feet. He wasn't Ino's slave, and – if he'd really wanted to – could have put an end to all of this.

"Hmm," Ino replied, wrapping her arms around his waist," I just wish you'd not be asleep all the time. I sometimes get too little of you, what with you being busy at night and -"

Shikamaru grasped the hint immediately. He smiled, in spite of himself. Closing his hand over Ino's, he turned to face her – and smiled. "If you want, I'll take you out this weekend?"

Oh yes, he was really a fortunate man.

...

"Just remember: be yourself," Sakura told Naruto before she rang the doorbell. But then she paled, remembering that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Eh, just don't talk about farting and ... for God's sake, don't mention Jiraiya and his questionable habit of voyeurism."

Naruto blinked at her incredulously.

_What does she think I'm stupid? _

Naruto nodded, and stole a quick at his surroundings: red carpet, very comfortable-looking couch and other furniture that reminded him of English aristocracy He really didn't feel like wasting his time on inspecting it.

_A building in Victorian style... whoever lives here is loaded. _

No, he wasn't jealous, even though he found it unfair that some people weren't subjected to traffic jams and the hooting of cars twenty-four hours a day. Oh well, perhaps, he should have taken Tsunade's advice and become a lawyer. But then, Naruto remembered, he'd just always been into drawing. So, he'd taken that, instead of stressing himself over a major that wasn't his thing.

Naruto's reflections were interrupted when the door was opened, revealing a good-looking blonde.

_That has to be Ino_, Naruto thought as he walked in, taking in that the smell of – could it be? - ramen floating in the air. Someone here, he mused appreciatively, was a good cook. Due to the fact that both he and Sakura weren't really all that talented in this area, he'd gotten very much accustomed to pre-made food. Going to restaurants wasn't something he really indulged in – it tended to a bit too expensive for his tastes.

"So you must be Naruto!" Ino said, and grasped him by the hand, pulling him even further into the living room. Her hand was warm, and Naruto could also tell that she used jasmine perfume, and his eyes travelled from well-shaped body her neck. She wasn't looking, so Naruto felt he could inspect her without being reprimanded.

_I shouldn't be checking her out, but ... hmm, she's quite ... hot. Yes, really good-looking. _

What Naruto didn't realise was that Sakura was observing his every move.

And she was – even the word "furious" didn't cover what Sakura felt like! She had trouble breathing, had to refrain herself from screaming and knew that her face was turning red. Not out of embarrassment, but the simple fact that she was angry. Feeling that she had to give her anger some sort of expression, she – not so gently pinched Naruto's arm. Her nails were sharp. After all, as the wise saying among the "weaker sex ", you never knew when you needed to defend yourself. And in matters of self-protection, everything went.

Naruto hissed in pain. "What was that for?"

"Hey, don't the wrong idea, stud! She's a married woman," Sakura whispered angrily into Naruto's ears, pinching him even harder just for the heck of it. "A very happily married woman, I might add."

Sakura wasn't going to allow Naruto to check out her friend. Besides, what was up with him right now? He hadn't behaved like this before! Right now, Naruto was being so very typically macho that it made Sakura quite sick. And, grinning impishly, she watched – with no inconsiderable amount of sadism – how much her not so gentle jab in the stomach had hurt him.

_I definitely didn't take him along for this. Really. Why must men always be so shamelessly interested in one thing? _

She knew that Ino spelled "femininity" and, when she'd been younger, Sakura had been jealous. Jealous that Ino could be so beautiful and charming without coming across as "trying too hard". In fact, Ino had never been baiting for boyfriends since she'd already had Shikamaru wrapped around her finger. Or something like that; Sakura doubted that anyone could fool Shikamaru into submission.

"I'm sorry!" Naruto said quietly, and suddenly felt guilty for having done what he'd done. Perhaps, he should have been more surreptitious about undressing Ino with his eyes. He just couldn't help it, at times! He was a hot-blooded man. Men had the right to fantasise. He didn't think that Sakura the very pinnacle of virtue, either! He'd seen how she had looked – rather longingly – after Sai's behind. A hyena would have been more subtle about it.

Even right now, Sakura's behaviour was bordering on animalistic.

_She's behaving like a lioness protecting her cubs. Or like a hawk with a precious -_

It then hit him hard. Was Sakura _jealous_? And if she was, why his pulse quickening that much? Why, in the name of whatever the hell governed the processes of the universe, did Naruto feel like his cheeks were glowing, and his heartbeat increasing? He wasn't a fairytale princess who'd just caught a glimpse of her knight in shining armour. And yet, stealing another glance at Sakura's angry expressing and noticing how she was angrily chewing upon her lip, Naruto broke into a smile.

_Why does it make me feel like jumping in the air and screaming "YAY"?_

Naruto found himself really grateful when his thoughts were interrupted. Not that he was avoiding the topic, no sir.

"My husband will come out soon. You'll have to excuse him. He's a bit shy around strangers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go and leave with Sakura to do something important," Ino cheerfully said to Naruto, pulling Sakura into the kitchen.

Ino didn't feel like adding that Shikamaru simply felt that it was too bothersome for him to come out of the bedroom. She sighed. Maybe, her mother-in-law hadn't been that mistaken about whips in the bedroom.

Perhaps, it was time she took her advice into consideration and put it into practice, even if such brutality didn't really stomach well with her. Upon second thought, it rather disgusted her and Shikamaru wasn't that easily beaten, anyway.

If anything, she thought, the more you tried to cage him in, the more defiant that guy got. Oh well, she'd deal with it. After all, Ino was fairly certain that she had quite a few flaws herself.

--

"Don't you think that leaving them alone like this is bad?" Sakura murmured, caressing her wrist – Ino's grip had been surprisingly strong.

"Why? Let them chat. Besides, Shikamaru might not look it, but he's actually very sociable when properly motivated. Now, help me boil the water!"

_Ino: always the perfect slave driver. And "properly motivated", eh?_

Sakura rolled her eyes, and reaching for the cupboard above her, pulled out a pot and moved to the sink. She opened the water tap to let it be filled.

"He never talked to my other boyfriends," Sakura noted, realising all of a sudden that she'd called Naruto her "boyfriend". She felt like slapping herself. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that. Naruto is not my boy-"

Ino didn't seem to have time for Sakura's protests. "He never liked them. Least of all, Sasuke."

"Ino-" Sakura started sternly. She really didn't want to bring up _that topic_ again.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't realise that that name was still taboo."

"It's not! Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wonder how stupid I was back then. A brick-wall would have been a better boyfriend."

_In fact, maybe that was Sasuke really was: a brick wall. I mean, he never paid any attention to me and geh, the way he ended things with me ... just thinking about it makes me want to break bones. Or rip out balls and declare that all men should be burned at the stake. Would serve them right. _

"You were in love. You couldn't help it."

"Oh Ino. Even if I was, I should have known better. I mean, being in love doesn't mean you have to be blind."

And, secretly, Sakura wondered whether she'd only fallen so deeply in love with Sasuke because he'd been the image of what she had considered "Prince Charming."

_Geh, why am I over analysing this? Stupid Sakura!_

"Sakura, you can turn the water tap off already – the pot's overflowing!"

--

Naruto sat down and made himself comfortable, wondering about that "husband". Maybe it was one of these prematurely balding guys who looked like an overgrown nerd, and still kept jar glasses under his bed. Ugly men always got the hottest women. He let out a sigh, and scratched his left arm – why wasn't there anything to read in this house?

A sigh interrupted his thoughts, and looking up, Naruto found himself staring into the bored expression of a man about the same age as he. Something akin to excitement sprang up inside of Naruto, and he started to tremble, not knowing why.

_It can't be but that guy ... he's eerily familiar. I'm sure I've ..._

"Naruto Uzumaki?" the guy dispassionately drawled, talking as casually as if they'd been pals forever, "Didn't think I'd meet you here."

"Um, do we know each other?" Naruto asked dumbly because his memory was really failing him now. He was pretty sure he'd seen that guy – this weird man with the sharp features and odd-looking hairstyle – somewhere before, but he couldn't place it exactly. Damn it, this had to be old age – and he wasn't even thirty yet. Hmm, perhaps he and that guy had met during a convention or a college party?

"Oh yes. We used to go to middle school together," Shikamaru replied, wiping a strand a hair from his forehead.

"We d-did?"

Shikamaru simply flexed his fingers, taking a seat beside of Naruto. He scratched his head, then yawned and finally just seemed to occupy himself by staring holes into the wall. "Yes, we – that was me, you and Chouji – used to have detention together fairly often too. "

Then it flashed through Naruto's brain. "Shikamaru? You're that guy who always fell asleep in class!"

And, Naruto recalled, his grades had just as bad as his. Perhaps, even worse because he'd slept through all his class and, despite that, Shikamaru had never struck Naruto as dumb. Indeed, far from it. There was something in his eyes that hinted at anything but foolishness. No, they were sharp.

"Yes. I'm honoured you remember," Shikamaru said in a mocking tone, and rolled his eyes. He definitely seemed to be the very opposite of touched. But Naruto wasn't sure: reading other people's minds was not exactly his forte.

"We kind of all lost touch once we reached high school..." Naruto started awkwardly, "But it seems life's been serving you well, heh?"

"Hmm, I guess." Shikamaru simply shrugged, making himself comfortable on the couch.

"You're talking as casually as if we were discussing the weather. But I can see that you're loaded," Naruto said, a bit annoyed that the other man was being so blasé about all of this. Hell, if Naruto had been in his position, he'd probably have been boasting till no end. Guys just were like that – you talked big in order to maintain your pride.

_Because that's the only that counts for anything in the end. _

"I should have guessed sooner though. I'm sure Ino mentioned your name once or twice... Guess, I wasn't paying attention then," Shikamaru drawled, rubbing his chin. Now that that he thought about it, he was sure he'd heard the name "Naruto Uzumaki" drop out of her mouth some three or four times. Oh well, he reasoned, it wasn't that important.

"You don't pay attention to her?" Naruto asked, confused. Damnit, he thought, if I had a wife like that, I'd be sure to always dote on her. Some men were just too lucky. They always got what they wanted, and then had the defiance not to value it.

_Why are you complaining? You've got Sakura. You only have to finally gather your wits together and take the next step. What? What the hell am I thinking? _

"No, not when I'm asleep."

"What do you do for a living?" Naruto didn't want to talk anymore about how he seemed to mistreat his wife. Then again, he didn't know much about them – and he didn't want to assume things about people he didn't know much about.

"Detective. Not part of the police. I'm a private investigator. And you?"

"Really? That's cool. I'm a mangaka," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together in an awkward fashion. Somehow, he didn't feel that his job was going to impress Shikamaru that much.

_Because it's not like you can beat being a detective. Unless you're a superhero. _

Shikamaru's reaction was interesting to observe; his eyes widened slightly, but he quickly composed himself and then – to Naruto's amazement – he really looked at Naruto know, his eyes showing a glint of interest and maybe even respect. "Interesting. Sakura must you love for it. She always wanted to have a man who'd understand her passion for manga."

_Love me for it? Man who understands -? Wait, there must be a big misunderstanding!_

Naruto waved his hand. "Well. She likes it, but ... we're not um, you know."

"Not a couple?" Shikamaru offered and stared up at the ceiling. Naruto wasn't sure whether that was a) an insult b) a subtle hint of his being bored or c) simply the man's irascible-inducing habits.

"P-precisely," Naruto supplied, feeling hotter and more awkward than ever.

_Why is my face that hot? And why the hell am I so angry? _

"But you like her, don't you?" Shikamaru demanded, deciding to not play along with Naruto's dumb game of denial any longer. It was just too vexing and straining for his nerves – and he needed those. "Don't lie. When you talk about her, your eyes light up and you smile. She's, at the very least, a friend of yours. But I doubt that your interest in her is merely platonic – no, you're attracted to her."

Naruto brought his hand to his profusely sweating forehead. So, he was that obvious, after all. And there really wasn't any point lying to his guy. "I am, but-"

He remembered then why he'd moved into the new apartment in the first place. The old place, which was always too loud and hot at nights. His older apartment had been larger – and it had been close to the shore as well.

_Was just too much filled with painful memories. Sure, it was nearly two years already, but I just couldn't bear to be confronted by the memories day in and day out. _

"But?"

Why was it that Shikamaru managed to unsettle him so much? He wasn't probing: it was only one word, but that one word was enough to make Naruto want to share and spill out his innermost thoughts. Sighing, Naruto realised that the reason why he wanted to talk so much was because he hadn't talked to another guy for ages. And the bastard Sasuke didn't count. Nor did Kakashi. Or Jiraiya.

"Look, I'm not willing to get in a relationship just yet. I've been through a bad – really bad – break-up and ... you know the saying once bitten, twice shy?" Naruto asked, sheepishly and started playing with a loose string on his sweater.

"You're the not the only one. Break-ups are common."

"No," Naruto acknowledged sadly, "but I had really thought that we would work out. She was supposed to be everything. Hell, she was everything and then ... everything kept falling apart. But then, after four years, it just was over."

"Four years? Wow, that's pretty long."

"Yeah, we met at university."

"So you're telling me you've only been in one serious relationship?" Shikamaru asked, surprised though his tone didn't betray a single emotion. But then, looking at the blond man and how he was fiddling around with his sleeves, he realised that it maybe wasn't that much of a shocker. From what he'd grasped so far, Naruto was – in spite of his best attempts at hiding it – a rather insecure and easily flustered person.

"Well three. Counting my high school experiences. Is that so surprising?" Naruto knew that he wasn't very experienced, and he knew that most guys would have laughed knowing how little he'd gotten around, but then he'd never been interested in casual sex. He might play the role of the laid-back, flirtatious guy well, but it wasn't really who Naruto was.

"Have you told Sakura about this?"

"Hell no," Naruto protested, turning pale. "She probably thinks I'm a macho or someone who's not serious enough for a committed relationship."

Shikamaru shook his head. _Really. _"Are you sure that this isn't only a foul excuse?"

"Yes, but Sakura's ... she's kind of out of my league. I bet the guys she goes for all ... well, she'd probably go for my best friend: he's all dark-haired, mysterious and ... geh, Sasuke is just that that type of guy girls would die for. Too bad, he's too much of a git."

"Sasuke?"

"Yes, Sasuke Uchiha. Sure you heard of him. I'd meant to introduce Sakura to him, but he's always out of the country-" Naruto started, rubbing his hands in excitement. He'd felt for quite a while that it was necessary for his two best friends to meet, so that his life could be richer.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"And why not?" Naruto inquired, suddenly feeling that the room was growing too hot for his tastes. He didn't like the way Shikamaru was gazing at him; his expression was a mixture of something that could have only been described as shock. Even if his eyebrows were merely furrowed and the frown on his face had heightened considerably. Yet, for a stoic person like Shikamaru to look like this, it had to be something serious.

"How troublesome, but -" Shikamaru directed Naruto to lean closer into him, "Sasuke Uchiha? If he's who I think he is, then he's the one who was Sakura's first real boyfriend. He dumped her by e-mail after they'd gotten intimately involved. She was quite distraught about it back then."

That was when the world stopped; Naruto couldn't breathe. It felt as if a heavy axe had cut through the air, and they were confronted by an empty vacuum.

"Oh fuck." Naruto couldn't say anything nor think of anything else.

_It's just the worst kind of irony. It just had to be that the woman I really thought could hit off with Sasuke was already his at some point. And he dropped her like a cannon ball. _

"You can say that again."

"But-"

"Every word of it is true, I assure you." Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette from the box placed inside his pockets. Lighting it, he saw through rings of smoke how Naruto's face darkened, and his blue eyes twinkled with something that could only be anger (they nearly blazed red, he thought).

"That bastard!" Naruto muttered, clenching his jaw so tightly that it made him groan. "I told him time and time again that he should stop treating women like mattresses, that he should finally find someone worthwhile and -"

"You were thinking that Sakura might be just that – the right woman for him? You didn't make a move on her because you think you're not good enough for her? And you're also scared."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, maybe it makes me a coward. But I'm not sure I can go through all the ups and downs of a relationship again. I'm not too much into pain - "

"It's fine. I'm not telling you to make a move on her. Hell, I'm not Ino." And he really wasn't: he felt that the whole match-making business women were so fond of going gaga over was pure rubbish. _Honestly. _The decision whether or not to get involved romantically should rest with the person in question - and not outsiders.

"But?" Naruto knew there was a catch somewhere. There just had to be.

"But, I'm telling you that she knows disappointment just as well as you do."

Nothing else was said. There was nothing to be said anymore. Ino and Sakura marched in soon afterwards, and the conversation took up another flavour altogether as the women discussed their favourite topics. And that was fine with Naruto because he really, really didn't want to talk right now. But still, he smiled and grinned when Ino started telling tales about her high school days and he eagerly joined in with Shikamaru about women being "troublesome in the way always bought twenty pairs of new shoes each week".

And yet, even though he had fun, the new intelligence he'd gained pressed itself onto his mind.

...

Naruto knew he shouldn't have been angry over an event that had happened years and years ago. What did it matter that Sakura and Sasuke had dated once?

They'd been teenagers then – hell, he he'd not even talked to Sasuke during that period. Because Sasuke had been an ass, and Naruto – in the belief that he could do better than deal with grumpy bastards – had put distance between them. Of course, fate had forged them back together, and Naruto knew that he'd never let Sasuke out of his eyes again. That moron was just too reckless when left unguarded – and Naruto, as much as he felt that his life would be less of a pain without Sasuke, had forgiven him. Naruto knew that Sasuke needed him, even though he had pretty funny ways of showing his affection. A girl should not stand in the way of his friendship with Sasuke.

And yet, the very thought of it all, the thought of Sakura and Sasuke together made his blood boil. He couldn't help from grinding his teeth together, and making a sour face at everything and everyone as they walked out of the fancy apartment; he barely even remembered saying goodbye to Shikamaru and Ino. He only smiled whenever facing Sakura, but even that was difficult – and judging by the frown she threw at him – he wasn't doing a very good job of not showing his displeasure. But, damn! He just couldn't help thinking that if he'd talked with Sasuke during that time, he might have actually prevented things from going that far.

_Maybe, if I had, then Sasuke wouldn't done something like that. Gosh, what is with me and my many "ifs" today? You can't change what happened in the past!_

They were – once again – surrounded by rows of trees, which whipped as a cool breeze drove through them. Naruto, feeling cold all of the sudden, started rubbing his hands together. It didn't help: the chill spread over his body, in spite of the fact that he was rather warmly dressed. His muscles seemed to be lax too and his head throbbed. Naruto sensed that this wasn't a good sign.

_Great_, he thought, _I'm going down with the flu or something_.

Meanwhile, Sakura couldn't help frowning herself – Naruto was, for lack of better words, off.

_He's not talking. And why is his smile that forced? Looks as if he's swallowed too much lemon juice. _

They had reached the apartment hall by now, and Naruto was still not talking – and a cloud of self-pity seemed to hover pressingly above him. Soon, they'd reach her door and Sakura really needed to know what was going on. Or she'd break something.

"Naruto?"

"Hmm?" He turned to face Sakura, fixing her with a look that made Sakura nearly jolt back – he looked upset, nearly. And that, in turn, made her upset.

"I don't know ... you're kind of awkward today, Naruto," Sakura murmured, feeling a bit out of funk. Had she made a mistake inviting him over? He'd seemed to be getting along just fine with everyone.

_But he could be pretending. And I'll find why. _

Naruto sighed; he couldn't lie – Sakura could read him like an open book, and she'd cut his balls off if she noticed that he was not being truthful. And he was tired, so very tired of it all that he just decided to blurt it all out. He had nothing to lose, anyway. "No, just thoughtful. Shikamaru told me about a certain someone. About Sas-"

Something in her brain went "whozz" when she heard that name. But, to her big surprise, it didn't shock her that much. She should have known that Ino would pull a stunt like that, especially since she'd been trying to get them together for how long now?

_But how she got Shikamaru to mention Sasuke is beyond me. Hmm, she must have coerced him somehow. But I'll not think about it. I'm not not that interested in their kinky sex life. But yes, "properly motivated" indeed. _

Sakura clapped his mouth shut. "He did?"

"Yeah ... and wh-what I wanted to say is that-" Naruto started, but found himself sourly interrupted when Sakura's lips brushed against his own. Something inside of Naruto died. He kissed her back just as gently as she did, pressing his mouth against hers and just liking the feel of her in his arms. In spite of all his protests when he'd talked to Shikamaru, he found them all melting away – and he groaned in protest when Sakura ended the kiss, if only to say:

"That's way back in the past. I don't care about it anymore. Whatever he said doesn't matter right now."

And she meant it – she really did.

_Because I'm fed up of always living in the past, always letting myself be burnt by it. I like Naruto and he evidently likes me: it's really that simple. So what the heck is the point of running away? _

Sakura leaned in to kiss him again, but Naruto pushed her away from him. Hot. He felt so hot, and if didn't stop right now, Naruto knew that he wouldn't have been able to do it any time later. But he also knew that this wasn't the right time nor the right place – as good as it felt.

"Wait, wait. I don't think we should ... immediately take things so quickly." Naruto looked right into her face, not avoiding eye-contact because that would have been so very wrong.

_I need her to know that I care._

Sakura paused, turned stiff and felt a bit of anger flaring up in her. They hadn't even kissed properly! "Don't you think we've been skipping around the bush -"

Naruto shook his head, silencing Sakura by pressing a finger against her lips.

She shivered as Naruto brushed a few strands away from her forehead. "It's not that, you know? It's because I really do like you that I don't want to push it any further." He smiled – not an ear-splitting grin, but a true smile.

And suddenly, Sakura felt very young and stupid. She'd practically thrown himself at him like a bitch in heat, and reddened at the thought of how snottish she'd been behaving a few moments ago. Sakura slapped herself on the forehead, reminding herself that this wasn't kindergarten, but real life – and in real life, you didn't go about kissing guys like that. Unless you wanted them to think you were easy, which Sakura really wasn't (_and no, sleeping with more than one guy didn't make you a slut,_ she added mentally).

_Maybe he thinks I'm desperate or something. _

"Naruto? I'm sorry..." Sakura started, but could not find the words.

Naruto paused. "What are you apologising for?"

"For-" Sakura started, but something in Naruto's eyes made her stop – he'd never looked that imploringly at her, and he looked serious, less than the boyish man she knew him to be.

"Don't. And _Sakura_, you're making it very hard for me not to kiss you right now," Naruto admitted, leaning against the door to his apartment, and shaking his head in a nearly rueful manner. He coughed, and brushed a hand through his already messy hair. At first, Sakura didn't notice it, but then she discerned that his cheeks were slightly reddened – like those of a young boy who was about to perform a dance in front of his classroom. She couldn't restrain from giggling slightly – it lessened the lump in her throat.

"You're blushing." An unnecessary statement, maybe. But Sakura loathed the silence more than anything, and the silence that had draped itself over them like a heavy curtain was suffocating.

"Yes? I -" Naruto turned away, shielding his face with his hand,"it's a trick of the light's."

_He's going even more red in the face. So, he's a bit shy as well. _

"But I'm not blushing. Men don't blush," Naruto affirmed again, ironically growing even redder in the face. Sakura giggled and, folding her arms, shook her head. Men were really too stubborn for their own good.

Sakura decided that she'd tortured him enough for today. Besides, the tension and the awkwardness was nearly starting to physically manifest itself around them, hanging over them like an overripe peach – ready to drop on their heads. However, this didn't mean she'd take it easy on him; Sakura was only going to let him go for tonight.

_I'll have ample opportunity to tease him more later on. _

"I'll go sleep then. Goodnight, Naruto."

"Goodnight, Sakura-chan," Naruto half-said, half-whispered. It was only when he said it out loud that he realised what honorific he'd used. "Um-"

"And it was no trick of the light's – you were blushing after all, Naruto-chan."

_Heh. Now look at his face. Looks like a deer caught in the headlights. _

With that, Sakura closed her door and Naruto, baffled but still feeling surprisingly light-headed, let out a small laugh. Somehow, he felt that things would sort themselves out, and he grinned – grinned like a small boy, his features lighting up so much that it would have made anyone else – if they'd been present – want to smile with him.

But the grin faded when a simple, yet jarring realisation plummeted down on him.

_Sasuke._

Yes, Sakura had said she was over him.

_But he's a different man now. Less of a bastard. Or so I think. And damn, don't women always fall for the jerk-ass types? _

Naruto knew that - once Sasuke came back from his business trip - he'd have to invite him over. He should have done so before, but had always pushed it away because Sasuke was so bitchy and difficult and – maybe – deep down, he'd been scared. Because, Sasuke was everything he wasn't: charming, talented and beautiful.

He was the sort of man women wanted their feet to be swept away off.

_Kyoko also left me because I wasn't like Sasuke. Damn it, in fact she wasn't ever with me: I was only her substitute for something she couldn't have. _

The memories hurt. And Naruto forced himself not to think about it all, for it only made his head spin and make him feel faint.

_I never wanted to love again after that, just drown myself in my work and forget. _

Slamming his fist into the wall, Naruto finally acknowledged that he'd been scared Sasuke would take her away from him. Only that now he knew that Sasuke had already been part of her life once.

"Really, that Shikamaru knows nothing: I don't stand a chance," Naruto said and then started to laugh hollowly, even though his heart hurt and the thought of losing Sakura tore him to bits and pieces.

**--**

**TBC**


	8. You're Just Too Fond Of Pain

**A/N: **

Yes, an update – an actual update. I've been editing this chapter for months now and think this is finally decent enough to share. There might still be mistakes though; self-editing is much harder than you think. Actually, I'm really not sure about the quality :/

I really am sorry, y'all. This hasn't been an easy year – what with university really kicking my arse (let's say that the fondest memories I have of last/this year were studying Kanji for days and nights while everyone else was out having fun XD).

And some developments in the Naruto manga really weren't to my liking (let's say that um, I didn't like how certain things between Naruto and Sakura turned out).

I don't know when the next update will be, but I'll try to be more consistent with updates. My policy is to finish everything - even if it takes a while. Because I don't believe in uploading things that are total junk, either. It's just much harder to write longer projects as of late because of my life not getting any easier.

Reviews/whatever would be nice, though I'm not really expecting anything ._.

..

"Sakura, why are you calling me this _late_?" Ino remarked angrily into her phone receiver, biting back a swear word or two – hell, it was past midnight and she needed her beauty sleep. You couldn't sell flowers very well when you looked like being on PMS, unless of course you were aiming to frighten your customers into buying more than they'd bargained for. Bribery, after all – as proven by the Mafia – nearly always worked. But Ino wasn't interested in that; she'd rather not spoil her reputation of being a socially well-adjusted person.

Because that, she thought, was just uncool. So, of course, she was more than furious that Sakura had called at this hour.

Hell, Sakura knew that Ino was a total bitch unless she had her eight hours of rest. No, that was not an understatement: she was like a hell hound if woken up too early and even Shikamaru, usually utterly composed and not easily intimidated, avoided her in this state. He might have been a genius, but that didn't mean he was fond of getting entangled in life-threatening situations that promised bodily damage.

Speaking of Shikamaru ... that damned husband of hers !

She wished he could have been here now, instead of working on that big case. A big case that not only had him in the office at nights, but had derived Ino of the company of her husband for a whole week already. She fervently hoped that Shikamaru would catch that blasted criminal soon and that life would return to normalcy. Or something like that. Ino had severe doubts as to whether her life would ever be fully normal. Not with friends like these. Nor a husband like Shikamaru.

If he'd picked up the phone, Sakura would have said "bye" in an instant, for – while Ino was mostly all ears – Shikamaru would just go "hmm" and "yes" occasionally, making it more than evident that he really had nothing productive to say. Which, as Ino reasoned, was probably better than what she tended to do – Sakura had grown a bit too accustomed to using her as a punching bag for her problems.

Ino couldn't complain too much, though. After all, she was Sakura's friend and – what's more – she couldn't forget that she did the same from time to time.

"It's ..."

Ino sighed. "Naruto, I know. Don't ask me how I knew. You've been talking about him non-stop since he dropped by."

"Yes, but it's been three weeks already," Sakura said, conveniently ignoring the tired tone in her friend's voice. Sakura knew that it was selfish, but -

_Hell, she has a husband. And doesn't have to deal with dumb guys on a daily basis. _

"So? Me and Shikamaru didn't get anywhere for nearly three years. It's not like waiting will kill you, Sakura."

In fact, she wanted to tell Sakura how waiting could make things so much better; she had never regretted that her and Shikamaru's romance had been a slow one – that had given her the possibility to cherish and hold on to everything. Also, grinning as she thought about it, the sex between them was so much better because they'd not jumped into it too quickly. No, even now, Ino felt that each act of love-making was a rewarding and thrilling experience – after all, for all his supposed lethargy, Shikamaru was quite inventive when it came to pleasing his wife.

But that was probably not what Sakura needed or wanted to hear.

Sakura threw her pillow at the wall. "Geh. I know. But then, I've known him for so long and when we kissed, I thought we'd gotten past that stage of 'running around in circles'."

Ino snorted. "It doesn't seem like he's pushing you away. He seems to like you just fine!"

"I know – but..."

"Oh Sakura."

"_Ino,_" Sakura intoned dangerously, chewing on her underlip rather frantically. She didn't quite like how Ino was not getting her point at all. Oh yes, they'd been on friendly terms and Naruto wasn't any more distant than he'd been before, but it's just bad that -

_He's not instigating anything. Hell, it's always me, me. And even then, he's so – geh, it nearly feels like I'm forcing him to kiss me!_

"That he's not trying to jump you? That, for once, you've found a guy who doesn't want to get into bed with you that quickly ...? I thought you hated how guys were only into one thing."

Sakura fell back back on her mattress, looking up the ceiling and she sighed. The room was nearly dark, save for the few specks of light peeping in from the window and the illumination her light bulb emanated.

"Sakura, you there?"

"You know, I'm just confused. I know he likes me. And I feel so happy when I'm with him that it makes me want to get closer, so much that all this waiting just drives me crazy. I want to know Naruto, want to-"

_Want him to tell me everything. I want him to stop being this damned hesitant, treating me as if I were made out of porcelain. _

"I think you're sexually frustrated," Ino dryly suggested over the phone, though she knew that it wasn't just that. She knew how much it hurt Sakura that Naruto was still keeping her at bay. But really, the sexual frustration was so thick that you could have cut through it with a kitchen knife.

"Maybe, it's a bit of that too." Sakura wasn't going to deny that – hell, she wasn't a kid and knew that her body had needs.

_And I'm sure he has them too. Unless he's sworn himself to be abstinent for life. _

Ino started to grin like a Cheshire cat. "Why don't you just try seducing him? You know, not too directly, but in a way that he just can't resist you._"_

"Well, I could always just sing 'Touch Me' while wearing a costume -you know the kind with bunny ears.." Sakura slyly suggested – that trick had worked with Kiba once and the consequences had been very, very pleasurable. But she'd been young then: young and daring.

_And stupid, I might add. But-_

Ino closed her eyes. Then, opened them. Then, she pinched her cheek. Sakura hadn't been serious, had she? But then, you never knew with her. She was just ... unpredictable, at times. Perhaps, this was the point to go to bed for real now. Because, Ino really didn't want to die of aneurysm just yet, and the images of Sakura singing and wiggling in that ridiculous bunny-get up made her feel very, very odd. Just odd. And Kiba! She could imagine his eyes – oh no, she had to stop. What Sakura had seen in that guy was a mystery she'd never fathom. And she didn't want to, really.

"Um, let's discuss this when you're less hyper. Goodnight, Sakura."

"Ino – don't hang up just yet -"

_She never does get a joke, does she? Damn, it must be Shikamaru robbing off on her. _

...

The moonlight streamed into the room where Naruto had fallen fast asleep on his desk; his finished work lay tucked away in a folder by his side as he was snoring lightly.

All of a sudden, his phone rang and Naruto's left hand slammed itself against his forehead as he raised his head in shock, having been torn away from a delicious dream where he'd been eating ramen.

_Who is that? I'll kill them for daring to wake me now! Metaphorically-speaking, of course. _

Because it wasn't like you could kill someone over the phone, though Naruto fancied that the ability of having hands that could magically seep through all those wires and such would be nifty. Because then, he'd have made use of that ability. But, sighing loudly, Naruto knew that his dreams would never be fulfilled.

_Apart from the ramen one_, he thought as his stomach growled. Pulling his mobile out of his jeans pocket, Naruto pressed the right button and put the receiver next to his ear.

"Hey."

Naruto forced himself to smile and not to start cussing immediately.

_Of course, it had to be him. Idiot. _

"Sasuke. How charming of you," Naruto said mock-cheerfully," to call me at – what time is it – oh yes, my watch say it's – oh! - _fucking four am in the morning._"

Now, it could be that the man on the other side of the phone was just a) incapable of getting a joke or b) a simply a bastard, but Sasuke, obviously unaffected, simply replied: "You fail at sarcasm, Naruto."

"And you fail at so many things that I don't even know where to start," Naruto muttered, recalling that Sasuke was responsible for one particular event that had made his life a living hell for the past few weeks. "But yes, what do you want?"

"I came back and need a place to crash in for a few days."

_Oh please no. _

"And your luxury apartment is not good enough?" Naruto asked through gritted teeth, even though he knew that Sasuke detested the place. He didn't really blame Sasuke too much for that either: it was all polished furniture - a black mahogany table, fancy portraits adorning the walls and more. In short, it was everything that Naruto had seen in those glamour lifestyle magazines, but without any feeling to it; whenever he was there, Naruto felt more like being in some museum than a place you'd refer to as "home".

Naruto swept his eyes over his living room and a brief smile sneaked upon his features. So yes, his orange sofa and the wallpapers were shabby, still showing off his bachelor status – but it was a hell of a lot better than Sasuke's apartment.

"Okay, and when will you come?" Naruto asked, fighting off the nervousness and panic from creeping into his voice. He couldn't let Sasuke know that he was freaking out.

"Tomorrow – is that fine?"

"Idiot. Don't even ask. You know it is. I'd meant to invite you over anyway, so yeah."

"Good."

And with that Sasuke hung up, leaving Naruto alone with this thoughts. Naruto threw the phone on his desk, so carelessly that if he'd not been good at throwing, it would have landed on the floor instead.

"He's a jerk as always."

Naruto felt dizzy, and knew that he should hit the bed; his back hurt from the awkward position he'd dozed in previously, but he couldn't find the will to do so. His head was reeling from all the accusations, memories and thoughts coursing about his mind, wracking through him like bullets tearing through his skin. He threw himself on his couch and fixed his gaze on the ceiling, trying to find momentary solace in the white dullness of it.

_I have to tell Sakura somehow, should have told her before but – what? Shall I just tell that her ex-boyfriend is going to appear all of a sudden. _

_Fuck it. _

"I think it's annoying that we have to visit Ino just because she's feeling lonely," Sakura was murmuring as she flitted around Naruto's apartment like no man's business – recently, she'd gotten so used to simply being there that she quite forgot that it wasn't her apartment.

_I think Ino's trying to get back at me for having called her last night. She knows that I want to be alone with Naruto, but instead – argh. _

"I don't mind," Naruto retorted and rubbed his hands together. For some reason, he really wasn't feeling all that grand – his head was throbbing and he was cold. "It's nice of her - really nice. And you shouldn't complain so much."

Sakura frowned. Naruto too? She threw her hands up in the air. "I give up – this is some kind of conspiracy – you and Ino are working together to bully me into doing your bidding!"

Sakura faced Naruto accusingly as she stopped running about and plopped down on the sofa. "As punishment, I demand that you make me something to eat!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Um, aren't we supposed to leave right now?"

Sakura sighed. "It won't kill Ino to wait -"

Sakura stopped; Naruto was shivering and looked so pale that Sakura's expression changed from mock-disappointed to serious in a second. Sakura reached out for Naruto's hand.

"But Naruto, you're trembling," Sakura said, voice laced with worry as she grabbed Naruto by his sleeve, making him to sit down next to her. But to make matters worse, Naruto trembled even more; Sakura glanced at him with concern in her eyes and motioned Naruto to lean closer to her.

"Let me check your temperature -"

"Don't – you don't have to do this." Naruto shivered when he felt her hands on his forehead.

"It's a light fever, and you're ... Naruto – don't say no again. I'm a doctor. Let me take care of you, damnit," Sakura snapped, fed up of all this idiocy. She stood up and made Naruto lie down on the sofa.

"I'll go fetch a towel from the bathroom, okay?"

But Naruto stopped Sakura, reaching out for her hand before she could even move as much as an inch.

"D-don't leave. There's something I have to tell you, no matter how much you'll hate me afterwards. I don't care. You need to know, hell you deserve to know."

Sakura felt afraid all of a sudden; he had to be rambling and his voice was so desperate, so hurried that it broke her heart. "Naruto, don't speak. You don't have to-"

Naruto shook his head. He had to say this. "Sasuke."

"What about him? I thought I made things clear. He doesn't stand between us."

_If anything - it's you, Naruto. _

What was with Naruto today? Actually, Sakura – with her hands clasping the material of her shirt nervously – wondered what the hell had happened to that happy-go-lucky guy she'd first met. Ever since they'd first kissed -

_No, ever since we've visited Ino, he's been odd. _

"I know him. I've known him since I was a kid."

_What? _

Naruto didn't give Sakura the chance to digest the new information, but closed his eyes and rambled onwards. It was nearly as if he were an actor and presenting a dramatic soliloquy before an audience.

"I didn't know that you were his ex-girlfriend though. We weren't talking to each other then. So, I didn't know anything about his love life... hell, I actually know very little about the women he dates now or meets or whatever ... things between us were always kinda complicated, since he's usually – he only trusts me when he feels like it, but I still think I should have-"

Naruto was rambling too much, Sakura decided firmly and she didn't like it one bit. As if he'd been pricked by some poisonous needle that made people delirious, Naruto eyes were glossed and he was turning paler by the second.

"Naruto..." Sakura tried, hoping that her voice would soothe him, but she fell on deaf ears.

"And when I heard that – God when I heard – what he'd done to you, I felt so sick . No, no. I still do. It's just that maybe, if I'd been there back then – I might have stopped him from doing _that _to you."

"Is that why you've been so distant?"

Naruto's eyes widened in horror. "... I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry. I should have said-"

"Just answer me, Naruto."

He flinched at the cool tone in her voice, but Sakura had to do it. She just had to ascertain a few things before the tension building up in the room could be cleared.

"Yes – it's because Sasuke is maybe, he's what you really-"

_Good grief. Men always assume the worst about women. Why is it that they can't just understand that not everything is gold that shines? Intelligent women don't want bad boys, they want someone whom they can love and trust, damnit!_

"Oh shut up! You think Sasuke is what I _want_? What I _need_? Are you an idiot? I could never want someone who dumped me like this. I could never want anyone who treads on people's feeling like that! Don't play matchmaker for us!"

Naruto's eyes were sad as he broke into a short laugh. "I'm sorry. I thought -"

_Oh, I should have realised sooner. Should have seen sooner what kind of person you really are. You worry too much, Naruto. _

"Stop apologising, Naruto! Damn it, you didn't know, you couldn't have known and stop beating yourself up about it! I'm not angry at you! Not about that at least."

Naruto stared at her, wide-eyed. Obviously, whatever he'd been expecting, hadn't been this. Sakura felt a shudder run down her spine, for she didn't quite like the way Naruto's mind seemed to operate.

_Does he think I'm intent on making him pay for Sasuke's deeds? So, you're a masochist, Naruto. I might make use of this, once you get into your thick skull that I don't care about Sasuke or that you're his friend. _

"But- you don't think I deceived you?" Naruto asked, sitting up and looking so bewildered that Sakura felt nauseous.

Sakura didn't feel deceived, really. Because, as far as she was concerned, Sasuke was a thing of the past and Naruto, who'd himself confessed that he hadn't known, had no fault in what had happened between them. So what if he was Sasuke's friend? The world was a small place and weird stuff like this just happened. That he hadn't told her at once, Sakura could understand; she'd probably have done the same in his place.

_The only thing that surprises me in all of this is that a nice guy like Naruto is a friend of Sasuke's. _

And maybe, Sakura thought, his being Sasuke's friend was a good thing.

_I always wanted to meet Sasuke again – so I could give him a piece of my mind. _

"No, Naruto- I'm not angry," Sakura finally said. "What you did wasn't deceit, you were simply placed in an awkward situation that would have had most people react like this."

"But Sakura-"

_God he doesn't give up, does he?_

Sakura placed a thumb against Naruto's lips and pushed him back down on the sofa. She'd not

have Naruto moving about in that state.

"Sakura, you don't understand! He's coming over today, I think. And you should just -"

_Oh, really? And that should stop me - why? _

"I'll stay."

"_What?_" Naruto was about to sit up again, but Sakura pushed him back down. Naruto looked so dizzy and pale that she was surprised he'd even managed to raise his voice like that.

"I said that I'll stay," Sakura insisted. Sasuke could go to hell for all she cared. "You're ill and need help. I'm not leaving you until you feel better."

_Nobody can stop me once I'm hell-bent on getting something done. _

"Go to sleep – I'll handle things," Sakura whispered, and kissed Naruto on the forehead, not caring that it was sweaty or that he'd closed his eyes already, feeling unable to fight off his sleepiness. Shaking her head, Sakura brushed a few of the blond curls falling against his forehead away.

_I can't believe that he's been making himself miserable because of me. I can't believe that he thinks I'd be angry. Stupid guy. _

He was breathing heavily now, chest rising and falling. Asleep, Naruto looked even younger than usual, and Sakura had to restrain herself from not running her hands through his hair. But, having been pushed away for so many days now, Sakura couldn't help herself and traced her fingers along his scars.

Naruto shifted slightly in response; however, that didn't stop Sakura and she moved her fingers upwards till she felt the soft strands of his hair. His hair was soft, much softer than she'd expected it to be and thick, making Sakura a bit envious because her hair was never that wavy or fine.

All of a sudden, the door rang. Sakura froze and gulped – she had to be strong now. Bracing herself mentally for a war, Sakura made her way to the door and opened it – only to be greeted with the sight of Sasuke.

...

It really was _him_. Sasuke all right. Perhaps, he looked a bit older, his face less boyish and his beauty had only been more enhanced with the passing years. But that mattered fairly little because Sakura wasn't checking him out – oh no, though he wasn't bad on the eyes, admittedly. Then again, most delicious things were bad for you. It was some kind of universal rule, Sakura believed, that the shinier something was, the more hazardous it proved to be for your health.

_I've fallen for your trap once already, snake. One time was enough. _

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed slightly and his frown – which was ever-present – deepened, revealing that he knew who she was. The blood in her veins pumped a bit faster and she felt dizzy; the realisation that Sasuke knew her just made the humiliation and pain she'd suffered those ten years ago even worse. But Sakura forced herself to be calm, remembering that Naruto was still lying on the sofa and that any rash actions on her part might have nasty consequences for him.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, in a tone that was so condescending that Sakura found herself clenching her fist.

_Wow, he even knows my name. He fucking remembers it – doesn't make him less of an asshole, though. _

Something beastly grabbed possession of Sakura as she stared at that proud and emotionless face, remembering how many nights she'd wasted crying about him. And how much pain he'd given Naruto as well – oh, he'd pay. And curling her fist to a ball, Sakura smiled sweetly as she said: "Sasuke dear. You know, there's something I've wanted to do for a long time."

"And that would be?"

Sakura's smile grew wider. "Oh, you'll see."

And then – _bam!_

Sasuke grunted in pain, taking a step back and rubbing his face. Grinning smugly, Sakura brushed her hands off on her pants and eyed him with the fierce determination of a sailor about to embark on a treasure hunt.

"What was that for?" Sasuke lashed out on her immediately, black eyes blazing with indignation. He rubbed his cheek again and sighed. Sakura had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes.

_Oh poor baby – I bet no one's ever dared to hit your porcelain face before. _

"Next time you want to break up with someone , you should at least have the damned decency and courage to do it in person," Sakura said in a – if it was humanly possible – snarling tone. "Or you're bound to end up like this. And you can be grateful I didn't kick you in the groin, bastard."

She shouldn't have been so euphoric about this, but as Sakura took in Sasuke's bewildered gaze, such glee overcame her that she had to bite her underlip to keep from laughing out loud. But it was hard, and she was grinning from ear to ear because payback was really oh so sweet.

Especially if the man you'd thought to have been perfect wasn't really so perfect, after all.

**TBC**


	9. Well, This is Awkward

**Well, This Is Awkward **

...

_Well, this is awkward,_ Sakura thought and rubbed her eyes. Not once, or twice even, but three times – she just couldn't believe it, really.

It just had been a mere ten minutes ago that she'd come face to face with her ex-boyfriend. And not just any ex-boyfriend, but the one who'd – metaphorically speaking, of course – shown her the ring finger when he'd dumped her via a short and curt to the point SMS. Okay, it hadn't been curt, maybe, but Sakura – though not getting delirious with old age – believed that it just as well might have been. In fact, she very much thought it would have been better if Sasuke had written "Go fucking die in a fire, bitch" than what he'd done.

_Gosh, it still makes me rage. Fucking bastard. _

And it wasn't just that. No, Sakura thought as she watched Sasuke – her eyes fixed on him like a hawk surveying its prey from up above – his very presence made disgust crawl up her spine; if it hadn't been for Naruto, she'd have -

_Oh, I'd simply – better not think about it. But merely killing him would be mercy. _

How she would have loved to kick him in the groin and fling him out of the apartment.

But she couldn't do that because, for some inane reason or the other, he _was_ Naruto's best friend and, as much as she hated Sasuke, Naruto was more important to her. More important than physically tormenting asshole ex-boyfriends.

"Are you seriously going to stay here?" Sakura asked Sasuke in an icy tone. Anyone else would have shrunk back at that, but Sasuke didn't even budge – but that didn't surprise Sakura. Back in high school, he'd been like that too: unapproachable, unflinching and always collected. _Then_, she'd considered that attractive, but now Sakura realised just how foolish she'd been to have fallen for that.

_Maybe it was simply about de-frosting the Ice Queen. Maybe, I just wanted to see that Sasuke was a human-being underneath that perfect façade. _

Too bad that it had pretty much backfired, Sakura thought.

Sasuke merely looked at her, his gaze infuriatingly indifferent as he answered: "No, that idiot needs someone to look after him."

"By 'idiot' I assume you mean, Naruto," Sakura said, hating the way he pronounced that word – coolly and yet there was a hint of affection there (painted and glossed over by seeming nonchalance, but still there) "and you don't need to worry about that. I'll take care of him. By the way, what kind of support could a jerk like you give him, anyways?"

_Why is Naruto friends with a guy like this? Is he some kind of masochist?_

Sasuke sighed, and fixed Sakura with an annoyed glare. "What are _you_ to him, anyway?"

Sakura thought it sounded more like "what the hell are you doing here, bitch?" and – had it not been for the seriousness of the situation – she'd have giggled; because, the more she analysed Sasuke's behaviour, the more it seemed that he was ... jealous or something of that sort.

Just like a jilted lover. Or a girl who was in love with a boy and wanted to seduce him, but constantly got cock-blocked by another girl (Sakura had a read a shounen manga or two with just that kind of plot).

_Which is kind of crazy, if you think about it. Can't be. Must be that reading too much manga is giving me all kind of bad ideas. _

"I'm his friend," she stated simply. Sakura could have said "girlfriend", but that would have been a lie because, to be honest, she and Naruto hadn't been getting anywhere, as of late. And she wasn't so low yet as to start making up stories. Especially not about her (non-existent) love life.

_Though if I just sneaked into Naruto's room at night, kissed him awake and straddled him it would -_

Okay, enough with that. She really was frustrated and that made her even more moody and peevish than ever.

"Ah, good. I don't want to see him get involved with the likes of you." And that bastard was actually sighing in relief.

_I should simply kill him on the spot. _

She was already clenching her fist, waiting for a good chance to strike, but then Sakura remembered that Naruto was still here, and that – again – he probably wouldn't have been that pleased to see his best friend dead in the morning. A shame, really. Because Sasuke was practically begging to be murdered.

"I don't see what kind of business of yours it is who Naruto gets involved with," Sakura said in response, once again thinking that Sasuke was behaving more like a jealous girlfriend than anything else.

Sasuke's gaze hardened. "Does he know about us?"

_Geh. Why can't he just shut up and mind his own business?_

Sakura hesitated for a moment – not because she was scared of being honest, but because she didn't like how casually Sasuke brought up their former relationship. "Yes, he does."

"So you sought him out to seek revenge on me? I won't-"

Sasuke's eyes widened; he'd clearly not expected Sakura to grasp him by the hem of his shirt nor having a fist pointed at his face.

_Yes, look at me, you jerk. I'm no longer the girl you once knew. _

"You know, Sasuke. Just shut up. The less you say, the better for us all. Because right now," Sakura said, forcing herself to remain calm," you're making it increasingly difficult for me not to punch you again– and trust me, I don't hit like a girl at all."

Sasuke only started at her for a minute or two, his expression uncharacteristically expressive for once – he looked stunned, utterly so and Sakura couldn't deny that it made her feel pleased. Not only because she knew that she'd managed to surprise Sasuke, but because she wasn't afraid to do so.

_I'm more than woman enough to handle bastards like him. You don't go through med school without developing a badass side. _

"You weren't that volatile while we dated – did my breaking up with you bring that out in you?," Sasuke finally asked.

Why – the nerve of him!

"Oh no," Sakura said," that was always part of my character – I just hid it well when I was with you."

Which, maybe, had been a mistake from the start. Maybe, if Sasuke had really known her then, he would have, at least, treated her like a person when ending the relationship.

_But I was too scared back then - too scared of being who I really was. _

With that, Sakura moved away from the kitchen, fed up of dealing with Sasuke; he was not only an utter asshole, but only hammered the message home of how stupid she'd been back then to have fallen for him.

_Besides, Naruto needs me now. _

Naruto was sleeping, but his forehead was perspiring with sweat and, from time to time, a groan escaped his lips. Sakura hated herself for a minute; she'd lost herself in her anger towards Sasuke so much that she'd forgotten about the towel!

_And Naruto. _

To her surprise, Sasuke didn't make any move to stop Sakura, but remained in the kitchen.

_Ah, so he really cares for Naruto, after all_, Sakura thought,_ enough to forget his pride._

...

"_You're still here_?"

That was Sasuke. Only one person could sound so peevish and arrogant.

"I was going to ask the same about you. Naruto invited me over and I'm not leaving till my business is done."

And that was Sakura - only she could come across as mock sweet while (as Naruto knew very well) fuming inside.

Those were the sounds that Naruto found himself waking up to; his head still groggy, Naruto felt confused and disoriented.

_Wait, Sasuke and Sakura? In the kitchen? Together? Must be a dream. _

Only it wasn't – the fact that he could still hear voices and footsteps were evidence enough. Naruto suddenly wished that some rabbit would appear and lead him down a rabbit-hole. Or something like that. Because_ this_ was just terribly surrealistic and awkward.

_I just can't deal with them right now. Not now -_

As he rose from his make-shift bed, Naruto rubbed his eyes and – realising that there was nothing better to do – simply stared at his surroundings. And pretended that the noises coming from the kitchen were part of some fucked up dream.

"Ah shit," he muttered to himself – what was the point of prolonging all of this? Even if he crawled back to bed, Sakura and Sasuke would still remain where they were and nothing would be resolved. Besides, sniffing at his shirt, Naruto figured he really needed a bath. And something to drink.

So, he decided – without further ado – to get up and throw a quick peak into the kitchen, and his worst suspicions were confirmed -

_Why am I so dramatic all of a sudden? Must be the fever. _

However - melodrama aside - yes, it was definitely Sasuke standing there, looking as sulky and pissed off with the universe as ever. Actually, Naruto thought that he looked even more angry with the world than usual – which was a feat because Sasuke's moods rarely changed.

_He's either a) pissed off or b) more pissed off or c) apathetic and pissed off. _

Suddenly, it dawned upon Naruto that it had been a few months since he'd seen Sasuke in person; ever since he'd moved out from his old place, the only contact he'd maintained with Sasuke had been the occasional phone-calls. Which, because Sasuke's communication skills left a lot to be desired for, usually consisted of Naruto babbling a lot and Sasuke merely contributing to the conversation with an occasional "hmm" and "you're an idiot, dead-last."

Yes, it was an abusive friendship, Naruto had to admit that. Probably more abusive than the one Griffith and Guts shared (though Sasuke had not yet sacrificed Naruto to flesh-eating demons) and the bond that Suzaku and Lelouch had in common (though, again, Sasuke had not yet penetrated his chest with a ... er, sword -)

_What the hell am I doing? Why am I comparing my friendship to Sasuke to fictional anime/manga relationships? Especially ones that ended in bloodshed. Or sword-penetrating. And were probably not all that platonic in the first place. Eh, whatever. _

In spite of himself, Naruto shook his head and smiled.

I_ missed him. Missed his peevishness and "I've got a stick shoved up my arse" attitude. _

Yes, it was awkward that Sasuke and Sakura had been involved. Moreover, Naruto still felt like punching the living daylights out of Sasuke for having – well, for having done what he'd done. Especially because he'd broken Sakura's heart.

_And I hate that thought- but Sasuke must have had his reasons then. No matter how fucked up or selfish they were -_

No, he couldn't run away from them anymore, Naruto decided to _butt in_ as the cool kids said those days. Not that Naruto knew what cool kids said those days, the phrase just sounded cool in his head. He was bit of a dork, yes.

Clearing his throat, he walked into the kitchen and – scratching his head – murmured: "Sasuke ... Sakura-chan ... I ... good morning."

_Wonderful way to start off things, self. Very, very suave. _

To his relief, it seemed that Naruto wasn't the only one feeling like a fish out of water. Sakura looked somewhere between being terribly embarrassed and angered and Sasuke, well – he just stood there, pretending that the whole affair didn't concern him at all. "Pretending" was the keyword here. Although Sasuke's expression was unreadable, Naruto who'd known him him since they'd been kids, saw that he was clearly uncomfortable with the situation as well. It was there in the way he avoided meeting Naruto's eyes and the way he was frowning. To anyone else, he might have simply looked pissed off, but Naruto knew that it wasn't just that.

_He's ... slightly embarrassed. _

"Was your journey good, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, feeling he had to say something or the three of them would remain standing in this kitchen forever – like one of those glass figures locked away behind a cupboard.

But the silence seemed to hold on. And on. Naruto started to grind his teeth against his bottom lips, suddenly regretting that he hadn't stayed in bed.

_Just say something. Someone. Goddamnit. _

Sasuke, thankfully, seemed to understand Naruto's unspoken plea (one of the things that made him and Naruto such good friends in the first place - Sasuke could read him very well). "It was terrible as usual. Also, your apartment's decoration, once again, betrays that you possess neither taste nor creativity, Naruto."

For a moment, Naruto was so amazed by Sasuke's ability to downplay his awkwardness that he nearly forgot that he'd been insulted. But then he started to smile and prepared himself - mentally - for a comeback. Because hey, he couldn't let Sasuke get away with that, could he? "Right. That's what the person who lets his mother decorate his apartment should be saying."

Sasuke frowned. "It wasn't Mum, but Itachi."

_Oh yeah, because letting your older brother decorate your apartment means you're oh so independent, Sasuke. _

Naruto rolled his eyes. "And _Itachi_ has such good taste, right?"

"Are you insinuating that Itachi doesn't?"

God, Sasuke and his brother complex. Ever since Naruto had known him, Sasuke had possessed a nearly unhealthy amount of adoration and awe towards his older brother. To some extent, Naruto could understand Sasuke's fixation: Itachi _was _not only extraordinarily intelligent, but possessed a calm sort of authority that made people want to follow him. Unlike so many loud-mouthed, pretentious idiots, Itachi did not waste many words on how great he was, but showed it through his deeds instead; he didn't demand attention either, but actually shied away from it. Which not only made him mysterious, but – in Naruto's eyes – sympathetic. Indeed, the truth about Itachi was that, once you got to know him in person, he was a surprisingly kind individual. Perhaps, he wasn't the most outgoing of people, but – unlike Sasuke – he didn't belittle others. If anything, he was always polite.

_In fact, Sasuke should take some basic lessons of social interaction from Itachi. Because Itachi knows how to greet me without reminding me of what a loser I am. _

But as intelligent and kind as Itachi was, he was also dull; Itachi, like so many other great men, liked things to be orderly and symmetrical. And that's where the problem lay with Sasuke's apartment: it was too orderly and symmetrical. Like a hotel room in some brochure - impersonal, distant and cool. It didn't fit Sasuke at all.

_Sasuke is a regular whirlwind of emotions behind that cool mask of iron. _

Naruto sighed; he knew that he would be able to change Sasuke's opinion. "Forget what I was saying, Sasuke. Your apartment is perfection, while mine is trash, okay?" A beat. "Okay, you're right and I'm always wrong. _Happy,_ Sasuke?"

"Nice to see that you're finally getting things, Naruto. It only took you how many years? I swear that's what I've been trying to tell since you were sixteen," Sasuke said, smirking. He was always liked that – Naruto knew that Sasuke liked nothing better than being told that he was right. It appeased to his – in Naruto's humble opinion, way too big – need to be acknowledged.

Naruto was about to say something else when he registered that they weren't alone, that Sakura – was in fact – present as well and spectator to the drama that was his and Sasuke's "glorious" friendship.

But Sakura didn't look upset. If anything, it was the very opposite – she looked amused. In fact, she was she grinning from ear to ear. Like a Cheshire cat. A very_ pleased _Cheshire cat.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked, inwardly thinking that it was nice to see Sakura smile, especially ... in this kind of situation. He'd not expected that - not at all.

_Cause it's not every day that you find out that your ex-boyfriend is also the best friend of um, whatever I am to, Sakura. _

Sakura was evidently hesitating, but eventually found the courage to say: "While you were dozing off, I kept wondering how you and Sasuke could be best friends. You're just so ... different. I also realised that you -"

"Are as different as day and night, yes," Sasuke supplied helpfully, and Naruto rolled his eyes. But he felt relieved too because Sasuke helped him feel … less tense. Yes, definitely.

_He makes me behave normally. _

"Oh shut up, Sasuke – your metaphors are getting boring. And what did you realise, Sakura?" Because, unlike Sasuke, he did want to hear what she had to say. Besides, it was rude of Sasuke to have interrupted her, though - oddly - she didn't seem to angry (she wasn't frowning at all, but a small smile was playing on her lips).

_God, you're so amazing, Sakura_, Naruto thought and, if it hadn't been for Sasuke there, he would have said it aloud. Would have done that and more because when she smiled _like that,_ Naruto felt his heart to little flip flops. His throat suddenly felt dry and Naruto wondered why he'd been such an idiot all this time -

_She likes me. I like her. Why aren't we a couple yet? Stupid Sasuke for getting in the way. Stupid me for being so worried about everything. _

"Well, you are different but you kind of contemplate each other," Sakura said while leaning against the fridge,"and you argue like an old married couple. It's ... _cute._"

Naruto simply stared at her, bordering between being bewildered and terribly amused.

_Is she implying that me and Sasuke are kind of gay for each other?_

But no, that couldn't be. But then again, Sakura had already mistaken Sai as his boyfriend for once and – _ahh,_ Naruto just decided not think about it. Women were just strange creatures, at times.

...

It was certainly weird. But the past twenty-four hours had been nothing but weird, Sakura decided. Maybe it was time she stopped dwelling about it.

_Worrying too much only gives you wrinkles. And hey, I don't want to look old yet!_

Still it was weird. First, Naruto had turned out to be the best friend of Sasuke, then he'd revealed he had known about her and Sasuke and then – as a so-called climax – Sasuke himself had shown up. But that wasn't really the top of the cake.

Oh no. The top of icing had to be that she, Sasuke and Naruto were currently eating breakfast together. Yes, indeed.

_Just like in one of those modern comedies about patchwork families. _

And there was no drama. No one was making cutting comments about the past, there was no smashing of dishes and, what was more, Sakura actually felt herself enjoying the company of not only Naruto, but _Sasuke _as well.

Maybe, because, while he was around Naruto, his gaze was no longer as stern and his voice no longer as arrogant. In fact, she could see a smile creeping up his face every now and then and the affection she'd noticed before was evident as well. And it was obvious from the way Naruto reacted to Sasuke – the way he grinned despite being insulted and the fact that nothing in his body language showed genuine anger told Sakura that he didn't mind it at all, that – perhaps because he was bit of a masochist – he liked it. Or he realised that Sasuke didn't really mean it.

Sasuke was … oddly nice. In his own charming way.

_I still hate him. But maybe less now because I think I can understand what Naruto sees in him. _

"So, Naruto, do tell me more about the time when you and Sasuke were in middle school ..." Sakura found herself saying, wanting to know more about Naruto. Especially from the mouth of Sasuke - she'd realised that he possessed a wonderful sense of humour. A bit dry. A bit sarcastic and always spot-on.

"Sasuke was an emo. But I guess that's hardly a change from now." Naruto then proceeded to drink his cup of milk and was doing so happily until Sasuke spoke.

"At least, I didn't dye my hair orange."

Sakura could see how Naruto nearly choked on his drink and then flushed a bright shade of red. "I _was a kid _back then, okay?"

"Excuses, excuses," Sasuke said and smirked - an evil, calculating sort of smirk (a bit like a bad witch's who was about to turn someone into a frog). "You also wanted to become a ninja then."

"So? At least, I wasn't the one reading shoujo manga behind everyone's back!"

It was Sasuke's turn to flush and he dropped the fork he'd been holding - elegantly and nearly daintily, Sakura had noted (_a bit like a Victorian lady_, she had thought). "That- that was – _that's a lie!_"

Sakura rose an interested eyebrow; now that was a side she'd never expected to see of Sasuke and definitely made her hate him less. Because -

_Men who read shoujo manga are kind of cute. In the way that you just want to paint their toenails and - not all men who read shoujo manga are gay, of course. _

God, Sakura felt like slapping herself. She really had been reading too much yaoi manga as of late. And that made her see subtext in places where she shouldn't be seeing any.

_Especially not when it concerns your ex-boyfriend_, she though and nodded to herself gravely. But still it was fun to think about it. And Sasuke was so prim and proper -

_That it would be perfect if he really were gay. _

"Really." Naruto grinned and licked his lips; his blue eyes were shining with mirth and promise of mischief. "I'm certain if I went to your apartment today, I'd still find a copy of _Lady Oscar _somewhere."

"_Lady Oscar _is a classic. It's about the French-" Sasuke started, but then slapped a hand over his mouth. He was _red_ in the face and looked mortified - and a little spiteful.

Naruto burst out laughing as did Sakura. "Caught you red-handed there, Sasuke."

"Shut up, Naruto!" Sasuke replied and then got up, muttering something about having to go the bathroom and stupid best friends who were idiots.

Naruto shifted closer to Sakura and whispered: "He's just pissed because the joke is on him now. You know, Sasuke is just very -"

"Sensitive?" Sakura giggled and Naruto - who didn't seem to realise how close to her he was now - laughed in return.

When Sakura had to leave (she did have a job to do, after all), she was quite regretting it: she hadn't had so much fun since -

_Naruto started being all angsty and emo about me and Sasuke. _

...

"So what do you think of her, Sasuke?" Naruto had to know - better now than never; the question had been on his mind ever since Sakura had left - with a smile on her face. She really had taken this whole "Sasuke affair" better than Naruto had expected.

_Maybe she's much more of a man than I am_, Naruto wondered not for the first time since he had met her. Because Sakura was strong, independent and knew how to deal with troublesome situations. Sometimes he felt intimidated by her strength, but also very much intrigued. That was why he needed to know what Sasuke thought of her.

_Because he's my friend. My best friend. Even if he broke the heart of the girl I love. _

Sasuke, who'd been admiring (he did like Naruto's drawings, even if he never admitted out loud to it) newest work, looked up: "Do you really think I should be answering that question?"

Naruto hesitated and gulped. "Yes. Even if you two were-"

"Naruto, cut the crap," Sasuke said, getting up from his seat and walking over to the window. It had grown dark outside. "I know what you really want to ask me."

Okay. So Sasuke was playing difficult and, though Naruto was usually more of a "I'll let it slide" kind of guy, this time it really peeved him. He felt himself shaking. And he clenched his fist. "Oh enlighten me, Great Sasuke. Because _I fucking don't_!"

Sasuke sat down again and looked coolly at Naruto. "You want to know all the details about the relationship I had with her? Not only how I broke up with her, but maybe what it was like to f-"

"_Shut up, Sasuke_. I'm not that perverted!" He was not yelling - Naruto, contrary to popular belief, did not yell when he got mad. But always spoke like this: calmly, but his tone dangerously quiet - hinting at violence_ (a volcano about to erupt)_.

_You don't need to taunt me about that. _

Sasuke wasn't saying anything, though - just kept staring at Naruto, his eyes unreadable though he looked - Naruto didn't know what kind of emotion it was - but he looked oddly displeased. Like the topic was most utterly distasteful for him to remember.

Naruto knew he had to speak because Sasuke wouldn't do him the favour - he was that _much _of a jerk at times. "I know that I can't change the past, Sasuke. And I know that nothing will undo the fact that you've slept with her. But at least, do me the favour and don't talk about Sakura as if she were some whore. "

Naruto was breathing heavily, his thoughts racing back and forth in his head like Lady Godiva – to quote that famous Queens' song he loved listening to occasionally – or an atom bomb about to implode. But, unlike Queen in that song, he wasn't having a good time and he really wanted someone to stop him right now – because he felt like banging his head against something solid and hard. The need to just bash his brains out until nothing but a mess of goo was left behind was overwhelming. God, how he hated Sasuke. And Sakura. And himself.

_How I hate the fact that life just has to be such a bloody joke at times. _

"Calm down, Naruto! Just because of _her - that stupid woman - _you get so-"

That was it. Naruto punched Sasuke - _so hard _that it knocked him out of his chair. Sasuke hissed out in pain, but sat back on his chair and merely groaned.

Naruto was still seeing red. "I don't care if you belittle me, Sasuke. But don't ever, fucking ever, belittle Sakura, okay?"

"Great. This is the _second time_ this week I got punched. Must be a new trend or something: Sasuke is the new punching bag for all your unresolved issues."

Then all the tension disappeared. Maybe because Naruto was too tired - the emotion prior to punching Sasuke having drained him out - or because Sasuke wasn't really putting up much of a fight. He was merely rubbing his cheek now, looking a bit annoyed, but far from being angry.

"What?" Sasuke asked, noticing the way Naruto was looking at him. "Want to do it again? Then do it quick - do it later and I will charge you."

Naruto shook his head and then chuckled. Sasuke really had the best sort of humour - dry and always unexpected. "You ever considered that you might actually deserve it?"

"Often enough, yes." He didn't even look angered, Naruto realised. Just sort of - resigned.

Naruto blinked. "Are you a masochist?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "_No, you idiot. _It's just that I don't consider myself to be infallible, Naruto. Actually, you know how -"

Naruto had heard that story before; Sasuke - once you really got to know him - could get quite chatty when he felt upset or felt like explaining himself - something Naruto had always been happy to experience because he knew that only few people in this world had the privilege to really see Sasuke like this. "I know that, deep down, you've got a whole set of insecurity issues. Yes, I know that, Sasuke. And I know how, in order to prove yourself, you often treat others like shit."

"Including you?" Sasuke's voice was quiet now, vulnerable nearly. A tone he used rarely, but one that always made Naruto feel odd and uncomfortable - because when Sasuke was like _this _Naruto never knew what to say or do. It never seemed to be quite enough.

_As if Sasuke wanted something from me I could never give him._

Naruto hesitated. "Sometimes, Sasuke. Sometimes. What you said about Sakura a few minutes ago was one of those times."

Sasuke sighed deeply and then frowned; the look in his eyes was sad now - a bit wistful and … _was it regret?_ - Naruto wasn't sure. "I'm not sure what to tell you about Sakura, Naruto. She was one of the few girls back then I considered moderately intelligent and I thought that dating her would be a good idea. I was still a virgin at that time and Father had been going on about how important it was for a male to gather experiences ..."

Naruto suddenly remembered; it had been during that time when he and Sasuke had had a big fight because Naruto had gotten himself a girlfriend then and Sasuke, instead of being happy, had sulked. And then punched him when Naruto had mentioned sleeping with her. He'd been angry enough that he and Naruto hadn't talked for quite a while. It had been Itachi - yes _that Itachi_ - who had forced them to meet up and talk because - as he'd said back then - "it's been annoying to see Sasuke walking around with the face of a living dead boy for months. Just get over your ego, Naruto and forgive him."

Naruto hadn't wanted to, at first. But - when he had seen how upset and lonely Sasuke had looked - he'd forgiven him. In an instant.

_I guess I'm kind of weak when it comes to him. _

Still, that event had really been strange - really strange. And, up to this date, Naruto didn't quite understand what Sasuke had been so upset about. However, he didn't have time to think about _that_ now. "But it turned out to be a bad idea, in the end?"

Sasuke didn't reply at once.

"I didn't love her. All the time, I was with her, I found myself forcing to put up a façade. And then, when we got intimate that one time, I ... just felt sick. It didn't feel bad, if that's what you want to ask, Naruto – but it didn't feel right either. And I felt like sick because I realised that I'd been - forget it, okay?" Sasuke shook his head and then looked away from Naruto - something that told Naruto that whatever he didn't want to share troubled him deeply.

_God, Sasuke - if you just told me. I would - but ah, he's like that. He won't tell me unless he is ready to. _

Naruto knew he wasn't going to probe deeper. What he'd told him - the way he had said it - was more than enough.

_He is sorry. _

"You're an idiot, Sasuke. You should have told her that."

"To her face?"

_He sounds like he has absolutely no clue how to treat a woman. Weird. _

"Would have been better than breaking up with her by SMS." Naruto knew that the one thing girls despised more than anything was being brushed off. You could do that to a guy, yes, but not to a girl. Girls were emotional, after all. Though - Naruto had to admit that might have been just another of those cliches. Guys could get pretty beat up over a break-up too. "Look you should have just called me. I'd have helped you."

_Though you were being butt-hurt about me having had sex before you. But whatever. _

"You would have advised me to not break up with her at all. You're that type of guy." Sasuke smiled then - an affectionate and warm smile that made Naruto feel surprised for a moment. But he shook his head; Sasuke was just odd.

_You know me too well, Sasuke._

"I could just never make a girl cry. Especially not Sakura-"

Sasuke sighed and his gaze softened. "You really like her, don't you?"

"I do. Li- love her, I mean. Which is why I hate the fact that you've had sex with her. Makes me want to kill something."

Sasuke snorted. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know back then that you'd fall for her – like a decade later."

"You have a point there. I guess, it's just my male ego talking." Which was true, most likely.

"Besides, it's not like you are some pure, untouched virgin, Naruto."

Naruto snorted. "No. I'm really not."

_Though I'm hardly a man whore either. I've been with what - better not go there. But it's a number that does not have two digits. It's not even … close to it. _

But Naruto had never felt ashamed about the relatively low number of people he'd slept with; he just wasn't the type to go for one-night stands and the few relationships he'd been through had all been relatively long ones.

Sasuke sighed and then went back to looking at Naruto's drawings. But not before saying: "Then stop pretending like you are one and just tell her you love her already, idiot."

For once, Naruto had to admit that maybe Sasuke was right. But then, he wasn't going to let Sasuke off the hook that easily. "I will, Sasuke. I will. But not before you apologise to Sakura. Properly. On your hands and knees. Like a dog."

Because, hell – no one, not even Sasuke – should be allowed to get away with having made Sakura cry.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto. "You're kind of _kinky_, do you know that?"

"No, not really. Maybe you are. But - you gonna do it or not?" His tone was playful, but he knew that Sasuke could hear the seriousness behind the playfulness.

And because Sasuke understood, he - reluctantly - nodded in response.

...

When Sakura heard the doorbell ringing on the next morning, she had no idea who it was, but she knew it wasn't going to throw her off her rockers or anything; somehow, given how things had turned out as of late, nothing could really faze her that much anymore.

So she wasn't shocked about her visitor. Or that much surprised, really.

Not even that it was Sasuke: looking a lot less arrogant and self-satisfied now, dressed casually and looking really, really uncomfortable - just like a fish out of water.

"What do _you_ want?" Sakura asked, sounding much harsher than she wanted to. But oh well. She didn't have to be civil towards him. _Really. _

"Naruto says that I should talk to you." His tone was oddly forced - like he really just wanted to leave. And he was trying his best not to make any eye-contact with her.

Ah, so he _was_ doing this because of Naruto – and that was when Sakura remembered how he'd behaved yesterday. How he'd, even though he'd insulted and made fun of Naruto, _smiled._ Of course, he would do anything for Naruto.

Anything – even talk to someone he really wanted to avoid. Now if that wasn't devotion, if that wasn't -

Sakura said the first thing that entered her brain. "You're in love with Naruto, aren't you?"

"_What?_" Suddenly Sasuke was making eye-contact with her now and his eyes were wide, confused. He looked -

_Shocked. _

Sakura groaned in frustration and ran a hand through her hair. She really had to be some special kind of idiot. "Forget it. I'm just-"

She walked over to her (messy, messy) living room and flopped down on the sofa; Sasuke – maybe because he was too stupefied to do anything else – followed her and sat down – maintaining a respectful distance – as well. "Of course you're not in love with Naruto - it's just that I -"

Sasuke interrupted her. "I am."

Sakura paused, surprised. But as she looked at Sasuke, searching his face for a smile or a smirk, she knew he was being serious. His eyes were blazing with emotion – the sort she'd never seen before, had never expected to see on _his _face. A beat. "How long?"

Sasuke spoke silently, but his eyes were still burning and there was a slight tremble in his tone. He was trying to hide how affected he was, how much it hurt him to say this - _to her,_ of all people."Long enough. Probably a decade now."

_Wow. That's really some devotion you've got there. _

"Were you – when we-" Sakura couldn't finish that, a lump in her throat, her mind briefly replaying their relationship. How, though he'd been respectful and even gentle towards her, he'd always been so distant, as if his heart had been somewhere else.

"I was realising it then, I think." And he looked away again and coughed. It was obvious - very obvious - that he was uncomfortable now.

_Great. So the boy I lost my virginity to is gay. Oh well, stranger things have happened. _

"You know, that still doesn't make things any better, Sasuke," Sakura replied, though a part of her was starting to hate Sasuke less and less. Not when he looked this... _sad._ "You dumped me like an object. You didn't talk to me. Even when we were together, you never seemed to_ see me_ – you jerk!"

"I'm sorry-" Sasuke started, but then stopped. He was rubbing his knees - awkwardly and it was a far cry from the elegant movements he had demonstrated yesterday.

"_What?" _Sakura asked, too confused and surprised to hide the incredulity in her tone.

_Just what the hell? How can someone go from being mean to … this in the course of one night?_

"I'm sorry." Sasuke really sounded sorry - and his regret was late, _years too late._

Sakura felt her heart racing at that moment, her mind suddenly dragged back to the past, to that time when she'd read that SMS and his behaviour afterwards -

_(he'd broken her heart so badly, so badly)_

"Don't you think it's a bit too late for that?" Sakura spat out, though the moment she did, she cringed. _Really wasn't this cheesy._ She wasn't even angry about the whole thing anymore, and the more she thought about it, the more she realised that she hadn't been angry for a long time. _Too long_, she'd been angry and jaded for too long.

_(but another had repaired it)_

"Well, I can't give you anything better, Sakura," Sasuke replied, and looked away. "But you can punch me again – if _that_ makes you happy."

_Is he a masochist? _Sakura wondered briefly, and sighed. Perhaps, she was being too melodramatic about this whole thing. Especially using the whole "hearts breaking" and "hearts repairing" metaphors. People got their heart broken all the time and it was rare - very rare - that you actually had an ex apologising.

_But meh. I just wanted to sound poetic in my head. _

"I won't. Waste of time anyway. Besides, I think I'm kind of over it." She leaned back against the sofa and let out a deep breath. Gosh, it was so refreshing _not to be angry_.

"Then why were you just now -" Sasuke looked honestly confused and Sakura had to laugh.

"I just went with the flow, I guess," she scratched her neck and then yawned, "_you_ expected me to be upset, right? So maybe I just wanted to indulge me and you. Whatever - you understand, right?"

Sasuke didn't seem to understand at all. He looked at her as if she had grown two horns. Or had revealed herself to be a dominatrix.

_God. I am really strange. Ino must have been right that one time she said that I must have been dropped on the floor as a baby. _

"And I even told you I was gay. _Wonderful._"

_Oh right_, Sakura remembered and a pang of excitement ran down her spine. Suddenly, she felt two things, namely a) curiosity (genuine curiosity) and b) giddiness. God, she was so giddy she felt like jumping up and down the sofa!

_But take it easy, girl. Take it easy. Or he'll run away. Let's be subtle about this. _

"Does he know that you -" Sakura started, but then realised how dumb the question was. Nothing she'd witnessed yesterday between them – _the boys_, she called them fondly in her head – suggested that Naruto even suspected just how much Sasuke cared for him. But then he was kind of oblivious to the really obvious things.

"_No._"

If she'd had any doubts before, the way Sasuke had said "no" really made it obvious that Naruto had absolutely no clue.

"Do you date other guys then?" Sakura tried to keep her tone neutral, but knew that she was doing a poor job of hiding her excitement.

Sasuke suddenly looked terribly uncomfortable (more than he had before - a wonder, considering he had already been uncomfortable) and Sakura knew she'd hit jackpot. "Look-"

But oh no! She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily (she'd just found a perfect victim, and she wasn't going to let him fall out of her grasp, Sakura thought) "Do you?"

"Yes." Sasuke was blushing - actually, red in the face – and somehow ...

_He looks adorable. _

This was definitely surreal, Sakura fond herself musing. But then, maybe it wasn't that surreal. In fact, it made perfect sense!

_So he really is gay. My gay radar actually works! Well, kinda. I was wrong about Naruto, thank God. _

"He hasn't realised it? The you dating guys, part?"

"Well, I make a point of not talking about my love life," Sasuke said and shrugged his shoulders; "Besides, he's kind of _daft. _He usually assumes that I'm either into cool, married women or something like that."

That kind of made sense, Sakura thought; Sasuke – because he was so cool and distant (at least initially) – seemed like the type who would go for women that were older and wanted some "no strings attached" sex.

Hmm. But Sakura wasn't so interested in what kind of women Naruto thought he went for, she wanted to know something else entirely. "What kind of guys do you date?"

The look on Sasuke's face was priceless - he looked so stupefied that Sakura nearly burst out laughing. "_Eh?_"

"I'm sorry I've just-" Sakura was way too excited, barely able to keep the giddiness out of her voice. Actually, she wasn't even trying anymore. "Are you into married men, maybe?"

"Sakura-"

"Oh come on. _You owe me that much_."

"I'm not into married men. And I don't date guys," Sasuke was saying, his ears oddly red and his eyes downcast,"_as much as one guy_. For quite a while now. I've not been around Naruto so much because I was – it's complicated."

_Ah hah. So he had some love woes. Must ask him about that later. _

Sakura knew she was being idiotic, but she needed to know more, probe deeper (her interest simply too great). "Are you a bottom? Or a top?"

Sasuke looked even more shocked now and Sakura grinned (he really was _adorable_). _"Excuse me?"_

"You know nothing keeps me from telling Naruto that you-"

"A b-bottom," Sasuke said through gritted teeth,"but we do switch – but I tend to prefer it when I'm not in- _that's enough, Sakura_."

Sakura didn't quite agree. Because she'd always been curious about those kind of things – though she knew, medically speaking, just what went on. But she was also interested in the ... emotional side of things.

For research purposes, of course.

Very important research purposes.

"Does your boyfriend actually _penetrate_ you? Or are you one of those couples that only go for handjobs and bl-"

_I really need to re-read my yaoi manga tonight. Oh the beauty -_

"I think I said that's quite enough!"

Sakura laughed and waved her hand. "Sorry, sorry. You're just the first gay man I've ever met and I've always been interested in those things. Yaoi manga might be nice, but they're not a representation of reality."

Sasuke stared at her. "Weird hobbies you've got there."

Sakura rolled her eyes – why was reading love stories about homosexual men _weird_? It was certainly better than some "hobbies" men had regarding little girls. Or little boys. "_Really_? Naruto is into lesbian porn. And watches hentai – though, thankfully, not the tentacle kind of hentai."

"I know about that," Sasuke said and cringed. "He used to bother me about that stuff back _when we were teenagers_."

_Speaking of Naruto - I wonder why Sasuke ..._

"Why did you never tell him?"

Sasuke didn't look surprised at that question. He hesitated for a moment. "He's straight. Besides – I don't want him to ... forget it."

"He wouldn't push you away, you know?" Sakura murmured thoughtfully, remembering that he was friends or, at least, worked together with a guy like Sai – who was rather _fabulous_ and all. "He's a dolt and worries too much, but he's not a jerk, Sasuke. _Unlike some people here_."

"_Why are we having this conversation again_?"

"I don't know, really. You came here to apologise, I guess. But I kind of like this. Talking to you."

Sasuke sighed and then rolled his eyes. "Because you can ask me about gay sex."

"Yes. Maybe. You're cute when flustered." Too bad she couldn't hug him right now. Too bad. But that would have been kind of odd.

_Maybe I'll do it later. Once the whole "he used to my boyfriend thing and Naruto is all awkward about this" phase passes by. _

"You've really changed, Sakura. You weren't this honest back in high school."

"Well, people change."

"I guess." Sasuke was looking at her again, and he looked … confused. "Why are you actually being so nice to me now? Is it because I love Naruto and you feel sorry for me? I don't need your -" he was gritting his teeth now and his tone was varying between disgust and anger,"_pity_."

"It's not pity," Sakura replied and it really wasn't. "I think – overlooking the fact that you were a _bad boyfriend_ and all – I wouldn't mind being friends." And Sakura meant it, she really did.

Sasuke's eyes widened again. "We had sex once – that makes things kind of awkward."

"_Not really. _Besides, it was ages ago, Sasuke. Do you even remember the details and all?"

"_Do you?_" Sasuke sounded oddly horrified; he was pale now and his eyes had widened even more perceptibly. He was _even blushing._ Again, Sakura couldn't help marvelling she had never realised how easily _embarrassed_ Sasuke got.

"Umm. I dunno. It's kind of fuzzy really, Sasuke. I remember the emotion, but I don't remember much of the act itself."

That was the truth and Sakura was grateful for that; perhaps, the anger and outrage – feelings she'd kept bottled up inside of her for years – had, in the end, blurred out what had happened between _them night_.

"Same for me, I guess." He was telling the truth, Sakura could tell because he was actually meeting her eyes and was less tense now.

"Then it's not awkward, in the least. Besides, I'm a doctor, Sasuke. I've probably been through more awkward situations than you could ever imagine." She really had, from guys crying like babies before getting an injection and sometimes even passing out to other -

_Stuff I don't want to remember. _

"I guess."

And then he started laughing; it was an awkward, nervous sort of laughter at first, but grew into something less restrained and Sakura had to join in because, during all those years she'd been angry and mad and upset, thinking of how she would castrate Sasuke once she met him, she had never expected an outcome like this.

_I really want to be friends with him. Maybe we already are. _

A thought formed itself in her brain. "Hey, while you're still here, you've got to come and meet Ino."

Sasuke looked surprised. "You're still friends with her?"

"Hey, she's like – the Naruto to your Sasuke, or something."

"You're ... strange." But he didn't sound annoyed and Sakura smiled when she noticed that he hadn't said "no" to her suggestion.

"Maybe. But so is Naruto. And you are _in love him_."

_So much that you're willing to shed your pride for him. So much that – ah, I'm being kind of sappy here. _

"Actually, I'm going to hang around for a while," Sasuke hesitated again, but his tone grew firmer, "I'm moving close to this area – with my -" He looked away and his ears were pink. Which was so cute and adorable that Sakura had to stop herself from squeeing aloud.

"_Boyfriend?"_

"Significant other. I am staying at Naruto's for the while. Before everything is properly sorted out and so on. I'm staying at Naruto's because - my own apartment is kind of -"

_He just wants to spend time with Naruto. Cute. _

Sakura realised she should have been disturbed by that, but she wasn't. There was nothing to be worried about - Naruto had not once shown any sexual attraction to males all the time she had known him and she could tell that, while he loved Sasuke, it wasn't the romantic kind of love.

_So Sasuke just takes what he can get from Naruto. _

"Does he - your boyfriend, I mean - know you're in love with your best friend?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No. Maybe that's my _punishment_ – that I just can't get over-"

"Oh shut up, Sasuke. You've got someone. And from the little you've said, it looks like you're _happy _– hold on to that. And it's not punishment, Sasuke."

Though Sakura was lying a bit, she knew; it wasn't that easy to let go of something – be it love or even anger. While she felt sorry for Sasuke to some degree, she wasn't going to play matchmaker for him and Naruto – _especially not _when she wanted the man for herself. Even if – she had to giggle that – her being love rivals with Sasuke would have been interesting. However, life was not a manga and -

_Sasuke's fight is not mine to carry out._

"No, maybe not. By the way, I do think – that you and Naruto look good together."

"How come?" Sakura asked, not because she was insecure or anything, but because she hadn't seen this coming from Sasuke, of all people.

_He behaved like a jealous bitch suffering from PMS last night, after all. _

"He smiled a lot while you were there. And I haven't seen him_ really smile _for a long time."

_He is a nice guy, after all. Reluctantly so, perhaps, but still nice. _

That was the instant Sakura knew that she really had forgiven Sasuke. And that she liked him - and that she could finally, finally stop being embittered and really let herself fall again. No, she had already done that.

"Oh, Sasuke. I'm taking you to Ino's tomorrow and in return, once your 'boytoy' arrives, you've got to introduce me to him."

"But-"

"Please. Or I'll tell Naruto that you go for David Beckham rather than Pamela Anderson."

"_Shut up."_

Sakura merely grinned and rubbed her hands excitedly; a little bribery always worked wonders and – besides – she always got what she wanted. "Don't be such a spoilsport, _Sasuke-chan._ This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Sasuke groaned.

**TBC**

...


	10. The Grand Finale

**A/N:**

Writing smut for this fandom has never been my forte. Sorry kids. I need Suzaku (O-zaku) to write better smut *shot*. Because it's a well-known fact that Suzaku from _Code Geass_ gives you orgasms XD.

**...**

"I -"

"Naruto," Sakura said smiling and pulled him into her apartment, just honestly happy to see him. He kicked off his shoes and followed her to the living room. Then, he sat down on the sofa and - scratching the back of his head - said:

"I figured we should talk."

"That would be a good, yes," Sakura said, though - to be honest - she felt like she'd been doing _that _for ages and ages with Naruto. But then again, they wouldn't be Naruto and Sakura if a large percentage of their relationship didn't comprise of talking.

_If we had simply fallen into bed from the get go, I think it would have been boring. I'm glad we can talk to each other like this - full of understanding and trust. _

"Sasuke is over at his family's for dinner. He was oddly flustered when he came back from you yesterday night."

"If you're worried that we -"

"No, no," Naruto replied laughing and shook his head. "I mean_ I hope_ nothing happened."

He flinched. God was he an idiot, or what?

_Great going there, boy. Now Sakura thinks you are the type who is jealous and possessive. _

"Sasuke and me just had a nice long talk about you and him being friends."

_And gay sex. And him being a bottom. But Naruto doesn't need to know that. _

"Ah, he did say that he'd gained a new and crazy friend," Naruto replied and then chuckled, "Don't mind his wording: he's always been like that. He just can't show his affection in other ways."

_You don't even realise how much he can't show, Naruto. But -_

"Naruto, there's something -" Sakura started, thinking that - if Naruto wasn't going to take the first step - she would. They'd been jumping around the bush for too long.

But Naruto beat her to it, this time. "I love you."

"_Huh?_" Sakura knew she wasn't being eloquent right now, but maybe she'd misheard. Could be. Because, sometimes, when you'd wanted something for a long time it happened that you started to hallucinate. "Come again?"

"I said 'I love you'," Naruto replied and then looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry if this is kind of sudden, but I've never actually been good at … you know making the first move. Confessing. That kind of stuff."

_Usually the women made a move on me. Or things just happened. _

Sakura let out a laugh. "_Sudden_?"

"It isn't?" Naruto looked confused. Now, wasn't _that_ a let-down and he'd spent all night in front of the mirror, coming up with all kinds of ways to express his feelings.

"No, it only took you - how many months have we known each other now?" Sakura rolled her eyes, and would have continued laughing, hadn't it been for the serious expression on Naruto's face. "_Naruto, get real. _If anything, this is absolutely _not sudden_."

Naruto sighed and shifted on the sofa. Then he was pouting. "You don't seem very impressed. I kind of feel let down."

_Though I know you like me, Sakura. _

"_You're an idiot_, Naruto," Sakura said and - moving closer to Naruto - gripped his hand, squeezing it tightly. "I love you too."

_God, this is sappy. And then not. It's oddly undramatic for a love confession and such. Must be because it's long over-due. _

"Funny how we aren't kissing each other yet." Naruto looked at her, and shook his head. There was an impish grin on his face. "But I'm kind of tired."

_What the hell am I saying? Sakura must think I'm crazy._

Sakura leaned closer to Naruto, then - letting go of his hand - ran a hand through his hair. She whispered:" The no-kissing part can easily be rectified."

_Tiredness? What a bad excuse, Naruto. I won't be having it. _

And, not waiting for his response, she kissed Naruto - closing her eyes to enjoy the feel of his soft and warm lips, the way he gasped in surprise when she nibbled against his bottom lip and - his mouth being open - she pushed her tongue in. _Demanding_. Making it clear that she wanted him, that she wasn't going to be pushed away _again._

But Naruto wasn't pushing her away, his hands wrapping themselves around her waist and him - timidly at first (_as if she were made out of porcelain_, Sakura thought with a bit of annoyance) - returned her kiss. But the more she massaged his tongue, caressing it, the more Naruto lost his shyness and gained on passion - his tongue meeting hers now and just as demanding hers. Sakura liked it; his hands were clutching her tighter now and he was - _quite good _when he got more into it.

"This was - _wow_." Naruto looked at Sakura and smiled; they were both snuggling now, both of them on the sofa -

_Finally. _

"You're so shy though, Naruto," Sakura said, giggling. Mostly because her other boyfriends had been anything but _shy_. "I mean, you're so adora- but I like it. I really do."

She loved it, actually. Because he was considerate and gentle: she knew that Naruto - once they'd get really intimate - would cherish her and worship every part of her body.

"I'm sorry," Naruto replied and then chuckled, "It's just that - well, I'm just not as perverted as you thought I was when we first met."

"God, I wanted to kill you." But back then, Sakura realised, she'd probably wanted to kill every male out there - with the exception of Shikamaru. But that was because Shikamaru was Ino's husband and not a jerk.

"Glad you didn't."

"Yeah," Sakura said and moved closer to Naruto; her head was on his chest now and she could hear the rhythmic beating of his heart. And he was _so warm,_ comforting. She really loved that adorable, oblivious and way too nice guy.

"What are we going to do now, though?"

"Until Sasuke comes back?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the cliche thing would be to have sex." Sakura really didn't know what was wrong with her brain and why she was always saying the silliest of things. Why, instead of coming up with something witty and intelligent, she always said the first thing that entered her mind.

_But maybe that's part of my charm. _

Naruto chuckled and ran his fingers through Sakura's back lazily. "I guess."

"And I wouldn't mind," Sakura said and giggled,"only that I have to go to work in an hour and having sex now would be kind of … odd, I think."

She'd been frustrated yes, but now that she and Naruto knew where they stood - after so much dancing around and needless angst - it wasn't so important for her to rush head-first into having sex. They had time, she thought.

_But um, I'm not very patient exactly - and very frustrated to boot. Damn it. _

"Hmm, as a guy I should disagree," Naruto replied thoughtfully, and then realised that he really hated how it was always expected of guys to be all "LOL LOL sex" or something like that, "but I agree. I just like," he ran a hand through her hair again (Sakura realised that he had to have some kind of fetish for hair),"being with you _like this_."

_I really do, Sakura. _

"Yeah," Sakura said and yawned, suddenly feeling a bit tired. "You know, I think I might skip going to work today. Kind of want to stay like this. Just like this."

She really just wanted to sleep now. With Naruto beside her.

"What? Aren't _you a doctor_?"

"Yeah. Right. But -"

Naruto sighed and Sakura looked up at him - she could see he was frowning. "I just don't think it's right. Ditching your patients like that." Just because he was a manga artist and didn't have to keep up a fixed daily schedule didn't mean he didn't understand the concept of responsibility. "Besides, you're not losing out on anything."

Sakura didn't seem to get it. "I'm not going anywhere, Sakura. Take my word for it, okay?"

"Still -" Sakura pouted. Didn't guys like it when a girl pouted?

It wasn't working on Naruto, though.

"Tsunade always told me that a doctor should never ditch their patients. Even if treating them means to sacrifice one's own life."

"Tsunade?" Ah yes, she remembered that name. Yes, she thought, as she looked at Naruto's scars and remembered how he'd told her he was an orphan once. "Funny how you haven't introduced me to her yet. And Jiraiya."

And he'd mentioned a Kakashi too. Someone who sounded very awesome and she really wanted to meet as well.

"You should meet her once. I mean - she's a doctor too." Naruto knew that Sakura and Tsunade would love each other in a heartbeat. Their tempers pretty much matched.

"You didn't tell me that!" Sakura said and punched him lightly in the ribs. "You silly man! I should _know everything_ about you."

_Everything she thought, about the woman you've been with to - ah damnit, _she thought as she realised that she really didn't want to wait anymore. Screw them having time and all. She'd waited for _months_.

_And, again, I'm not very patient. _

Sakura shifted in her position, moving around until she was straddling Naruto. "Let's have sex, Naruto."

Yes, the direct approach always worked best on guys - she knew _that_ very well.

"Hey!" Naruto sputtered and he was red all of a sudden, not entirely used to being … straddled like that. "I thought you didn't want to have … um, sex right now!"

_What the hell is going on - why is Sakura -_

Sakura pulled the top over her head - Naruto's eyes widened when he realised she was pretty much wearing _nothing _underneath it. "Changed my mind.

"Sakura this is a bit sudden and -" Naruto tried not to look at her breasts (they were perky and just the right size - a handful and they bounced - and Naruto found himself growing hard, too much of a guy not too get aroused by breasts).

"Come on. I'm on the pill and," she said as she was unbuckling his belt,"I kinda waited _ages _for this. And I want to claim you before any other woman does."

_What - claim? What other women-_

Naruto's brain died at that moment. Because her hands were at his - _down there. _And yes, he was acting like a virgin about this, but then it wasn't like you had a woman practically touching your - Naruto blushed at that and suddenly hated himself for not being more experienced in these matters.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it - Sakura is so -_

Naruto just closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Why Naruto-" Sakura said, looking up at him and noticing just _how_ flushed and embarrassed he looked,"you're so -_ cute_."

_Even cuter than Sasuke when he blushed. And this is the man I believed to be a macho and chauvinist when he first met. God, I shouldn't want him so much, but I do - especially when he's so embarrassed … _

And she continued to pump, her hand skillful and not at all shy. But then she didn't see why she was supposed to be all tender maiden-like about this. She was a woman and knew what she _wanted. _

_And I want Naruto_, she thought. Especially when he was like this: his blond hair tousled, his cheeks flushed, his shirt exposing part of his tanned skin and his erection visible - yes, _he wanted her as much as she wanted him. _

However, she only had about fifty minutes to go, so she had to be quick about this (she'd have loved to prolong it, go down on Naruto, perhaps - tease him a bit, take him into her mouth, and see him gasp - _her name _on his lips).

He was pretty hard now though, she could tell and it would be fine if she - Sakura flushed slightly, because - though she wasn't all shy about the handjob - she did feel slightly shy now because - to be honest - she'd never quite seduced a guy like _this _before. But then again, she just really -

_Damnit, who cares? I just want him. To hell with virtue, dignity and what not. _

"I can't have you come now - sorry," Sakura said and then stood up, and - because she was nervous and impatient - quickly got out of her pants, her panties and was secretly grateful that she'd showered before Naruto had arrived.

_Perhaps, it was premonition on my part. _

_Sakura was - beautiful_, Naruto thought, his throat suddenly going dry as his eyes took in her athletic body - her legs were just the right type of shapely -

- and she _was perfect. _

"Wait, I'm still - dressed. Kind of," Naruto stammered out, his voice not really firm and he knew he sounded _nervous_. But then again, just because he was twenty-seven and not a virgin, didn't mean that he'd gotten used to sex that much that seeing someone (he'd dreamt about and really, really loved) naked for the first time didn't make his heart flutter nor the blood come pumping into his veins faster.

"I think it's hotter this way," Sakura replied and then lowered herself on him - she gasped as he felt him slide into her, and moaned as - the lower she went - the more of him she took in; she had to still herself for a bit because it had been a while and the intrusion, though not painful, was a bit uncomfortable.

_Hot. So hot. _

Sakura realised the moment she went down on him - _him _sliding into her even deeper now - that he hadn't done this with too many women. He trembled too much for that, and his face was flushed; his blue eyes were too surprised, nearly vulnerable-looking. Like he thought he was dreaming.

"Sakura - _ngh_. You feel so … good," he was saying, his voice husky now, low. And she could tell he was trying his best not to moan or trying to slam into her (it amazed her that he was still so considerate _even now_). His eyes were clouded over with lust -

She could see the love there. Could see how good he felt and that she could make him feel even _more better_ if she moved her hips. She'd read once that you could make a guy feel really good if you teased them a bit, started off slow before picking up on pace.

But Naruto's hands - his palms were sweaty - were gripping her hips and she knew then that he wanted her to go fast.

"_Please_, Sakura -"

It turned her on more than everything else - _him begging_. Sakura started to move, slightly clumsily (it had been a while), but not really caring too much. And it didn't look like Naruto cared too much, either. Because he was moaning underneath her, only "ahh" and "nghh" and "ohmygod" escaping his mouth.

He wasn't cursing - that quite surprised Sakura, but she didn't mind. Didn't mind at all because she was making him_ feel good_, she could tell because he was thrusting upwards into her, his hands gripping her hips more tightly now, his hands sweaty and Sakura knew that neither of them were going to last long.

And she was right; they both came - quickly, but sated still. Naruto breathing heavily and her - feeling sticky and slightly sore - happy because, finally, she'd gotten everything she wanted.

"Sorry, I hope you don't think I'm kind -"

_A slut_, Sakura thought, but then she wasn't. She'd been with - what - _six guys?_ Well, seven now. And yes, she liked sex. But, as she looked at Naruto - he was still flushed slightly and looked slightly tired, though satisfied.

_Yeah, I definitely like Naruto more than sex. Though sex with him? A great combination. _

Naruto was slightly out of breath, but he laughed. "No that was -_amazing. _Unexpected, but amazing still."

"I guess I should take a shower - I do have to go work and all."

"Okay," Naruto said.

"You can join me, you know - no need to be shy now?"

Naruto flushed at that and Sakura laughed.

God, he really was cute - and hers. Only _hers_ now.

…

Sasuke sighed; he really hated family gatherings: ever since his father had taken that family therapy _(learn to be more cheerful and open about your feelings!)_ a few years back he had become disgustingly interested in Sasuke's life. Yes, he knew that Sasuke was gay and, because he wanted to be a supportive father, he kept asking Sasuke about his current partner, what they were planning to do and if he'd bring him over soon -

That had been annoying, really. And made worse - _much worse_ - by his mother's chattering of how "proud she was that her dear Sasuke had finally found someone nice."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and placed the keys Naruto had given him on the table.

"You came back sooner than expected, Sasuke."

Great, he wasn't going to find any peace right now, either.

"_Where is _Naruto?"

"He went out shopping." Sakura said and smiled (he'd kissed her before he'd left - whispering how he loved her and how amazing she was).

"You seem oddly cheerful," Sasuke said and looked at her suspiciously. That flushed look, the way she was grinning in that self-pleased manner - it could only mean one thing. "Did you-"

"I had sex with him, yes."

Sasuke merely looked at her. "That was _fast._ Usually he's not that quick when it comes to consumating relationships. I mean with the four girlfriends he had -."

_Four? Wow. No wonder he was so flushed and embarrassed. _

"Well I … kind of jumped him. Straddled him and then-" Sakura found herself saying, not realising that she shouldn't have been quite so open about this. But this was Sasuke and hey, she kind of felt she could tell him about this.

_I am really weird. _

"Too much information." Sasuke waved his hand dismissively and pulled out a chair; he sighed as he sat down.

_Sakura was really kind of crazy_, he thought. But just the type of woman Naruto _adored. _Though Sakura was probably the first woman he'd ever met who was so outright crazy and … Sasuke realised then that she was probably the only girlfriend of Naruto's he could really come to like. He sort of - already - kind of liked her. Well, he'd be able to tolerate her, at least.

"I guess he loved it, didn't he?" Naruto had always talked about - in his teenage days - how he wanted to have a strong and self-confident girlfriend.

"He did."

_Very much, in fact. So much that I should jump him again tonight. _

"Ah, he's always been into domineering women." Sasuke wanted to add that it was probably due to Tsunade and, perhaps a bit the result of some weird and fucked up childhood trauma, but he kept that information for himself. He didn't need to get punched a third time this week.

Sakura grinned - now that Sasuke was here, she could dig out more information about him! "And what about you - how many guys have you -"

"_Oh please_." Why was Sakura asking him _this?_

"Come on, I've been with seven. Most of them were jerks. Sorry to have to include you to the jerk list as well - no bad feelings, okay?"

Sasuke realised then and there that Sakura was a mightily stubborn woman. "Gosh you really are shameless, aren't you? Seven as well - in total, I've slept with eight people, including you. _Happy_?"

"Seven guys?" Sakura had to admit she was slightly surprised; she'd pegged Sasuke as a less than sexually active guy. Not that he'd slept with that many people, either. But then, as she looked at him, she realised h_e was pretty _and probably quite popular among men. And just because he was prim and proper didn't mean that he wasn't capable of seducing people.

Sasuke flushed a bit, not liking how _surprised _she looked. "I've made my fair share of mistakes when it came to relationships - I'm not necessarily very proud of it, either."

"Ah, so did I, Sasuke. So did I." And she laughed. Because wow, she really had. But then, perhaps, it was normal to fall and fall and fall until you found the right person. "You know that I had a fling with Kiba?"

"The crazy guy who was into dogs?" Sasuke chuckled. "Now that's just _bad taste_." Though Sasuke had to admit that he'd slightly, just slightly been intrigued. Kiba had reminded him a bit of Naruto.

"Hey, he was pretty good at sex!" And Sakura flushed at that because Sakura was again staring at her as if she'd come from the moon or something.

But then he smiled - a real smile. "I had something with a guy who was into swords - especially medieval ones. His entire room was full of those." Sasuke didn't know why he was telling her that, but then - screw it all - she was kind of fun to be around with. "The sex was kind of good, though. He knew -"

Ah no, he wasn't going to tell her_ that. _

"How to treat your sword well as well, I reckon?" But then another idea popped into her mind. "I mean he didn't shove a sword up your-"

Sasuke looked horrified. "God no. _What the hell?_ I'm not that kinky!"

"Just wondering." So Sasuke wasn't that kinky, but he liked it when you treated his "sword" well. Interesting.

Sasuke knew that Sakura was thinking of perverted things again - especially in regards to his sexual likes and dislikes. "Why am I talking to you about _about my love life_?"

"Cause, you know I won't judge you?" Sakura supplied and then grinned. "I mean if anyone knows anything about fucked up relationships and funny sex tales then it's me."

"Maybe." Sasuke had to admit that it was nice - to talk to someone about the experiences he'd had. Because his father, even if he was supportive, well he just didn't need to know _everything._ And Itachi was a great brother, but talking to him about sex - any kind of sex was more awkward than telling a priest you masturbated. Because Itachi was … _well Itachi. _

And it was a number one rule in the universe of well whatever universe you pledged alliance to that you didn't talk to your mother about your sex life.

They heard the door open.

"Oh you guys are already here?" Naruto "You jerk, Sasuke. You should have told me you'd be coming sooner. Then I wouldn't have had to carry all this stuff up myself." He pointed to the bags he was carrying. Or more like nodded at them with his chin. Something like that.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Really._ "I didn't know I was going to come home sooner." Besides, he'd left his cell phone at Naruto's place, forgetting about it because he'd been way too flustered over Sakura and what she'd asked him. Yeah, he could get forgetful as well when people asked him weird questions - especially about his preferences in bed.

"Ah well. What were you guys talking about?"

Sasuke and Sakura stared at each other, both of them knowing that - whatever they had talked about - was only between them. Naruto didn't have _to know everything_, after all. And Sasuke, though he loved Naruto (he hoped that, one day, he'd be able to love him as a brother and only that) wasn't quite ready to come out in front of him yet. But, as he looked at Sakura, he knew that he now had someone who would help to make it easier for him if he did take that important step one day.

Sakura replied: "About swords."

"And dogs," Sasuke added.

Naruto laughed out loud. But not because he was nervous or feeling awkward, but because - this oddly felt right. "Interesting. You guys are great friends now, aren't you? I feel jealous, I must say."

"That's only because you're a moron, Naruto. There's really nothing to be_ jealous_ about."

Sakura grinned. "Yes, because Sasuke is really, really into swords."

_Just because we are friends now, Sasuke, doesn't mean I won't tease you. Ah, that's because we are *friends* now. _

"Swords?" Naruto looked confused.

"Yes, _swords_," Sasuke answered and shot a dirty look at Sakura. "But Naruto - shouldn't you put those things into the fridge? I'll go prepare some tea,"he paused and then smiled as he took the shopping bags out of Naruto's hands,"and I'll put those things into the fridge as well."

He left and Sakura liked him even more for that. He really_ was nice _in his own way.

"You two are getting along really nicely," Naruto replied and then sighed. "I thought you'd hate his guts forever."

"I thought so too. For a long time," Sakura admitted. "But then I've got better things than to hate Sasuke all my life."

"Like?" Naruto asked as he pulled her towards him.

"Loving you, you dolt," Sakura replied and then smiled.

_Yeah, that was definitely better. _

…

**THE END**

Not kidding you, no.

I guess I should apologise for some of the crack (Sasuke being gay and Sakura being his fag hag and all, but - to be honest - I had that pretty much planned out from the get-go. Though I was hoping to leave it in the subtext area). I'm sorry.

I could have ended this in the stereotypical, dramatic way with Sasuke and Naruto breaking off ties and what not, but the part of me that still likes Naruto is, in the long run, a _Team 7 fan._

I don't really know what kind of feedback I'm expecting from this - I just wanted to finish this, while I still felt some kind of attachment to the Naruto characters. This fic was pretty much the last thing I _genuinely_ enjoyed writing for this fandom.

If you are going to flame me, please don't be too rude about it, okay? I like concrit, but - once you read a personal level - I'll be less than understanding.

Otherwise, the reason why I really finished this was because of the people who supported the story for as long as they did. Thank you for that.

So, as they say, good luck and goodnight!

Thanks for the lovely ride!


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